President Trump grants pardon to former Sheriff Joe Arpaio

President Trump has pardoned former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. A statement was released, calling the sheriff a worthy candidate of a presidential pardon.

Trump pointed out Arpaio's 50 years in public service, starting with the Korean War and said he worked to protect the public from "scourges of crime and illegal immigration."

Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt for refusing to follow a judge's order and stop his immigration patrols. He was supposed to be sentenced in October, and had faced up to six months in jail.

Full statement from The White House:

Today, President Donald J. Trump granted a Presidential pardon to Joe Arpaio, former Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. Arpaio's life and career, which began at the age of 18 when he enlisted in the military after the outbreak of the Korean War, exemplify selfless public service. After serving in the Army, Arpaio became a police officer in Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas, NV and later served as a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), formerly the Bureau of Narcotics. After 25 years of admirable service, Arpaio went on to lead the DEA's branch in Arizona.

In 1992, the problems facing his community pulled Arpaio out of retirement to return to law enforcement. He ran and won a campaign to become Sheriff of Maricopa County. Throughout his time as Sheriff, Arpaio continued his life's work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration. Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now eighty-five years old, and after more than fifty years of admirable service to our Nation, he is a worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon.