Sessions Reportedly Advised Dropping Case ‘Inappropriate’Â
Donald Trump’s controversial decision to pardon neo-Nazi hero Joe Arpaio, convicted of criminal contempt of court for defying an order to stop racially profiling Latinos, has drawn bipartisan condemnation—but a new report says that the decision had been on the president’s mind even before the embattled sheriff’s trial.
The Washington Post reported Saturday evening that the president asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions “whether it would be possible for the government to drop the criminal case against Arpaio†this past spring, citing three individuals familiar with the conversation.
Sessions reportedly told Trump doing so would be “inappropriate.â€
The outlet further reported that “the president waited, all the while planning to issue a pardon if Arpaio was found in contempt of court for defying a federal judge’s order to stop detaining people merely because he suspected them of being undocumented immigrants.â€
In the words of one associate, the newspaper reported, Trump was “gung-ho about it.â€
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to questions about the president’s conversation with the Attorney General, advising that “it’s only natural the president would have a discussion with administration lawyers about legal matters. This case would be no different.â€
The Department of Justice declined to comment. And as the outlet further pointed out:
Trump’s pardon, issued without consulting the Justice Department, raised a storm of protest over the weekend, including from some fellow Republicans, and threatens to become a stain on the president’s legacy. His effort to see if the case could be dropped showed a troubling disregard for the traditional wall between the White House and the Justice Department, and taken together with similar actions could undermine respect for the rule of law, experts said.
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