Trump calls pardoned ex-sheriff ‘a patriot’

Published 1:30 am Monday, August 28, 2017

By Noah Bierman and Brian Bennett / Tribune Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump seemed eager to field questions during a Monday news conference, defending his decision to pardon former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, still insisting Mexico will pay for his promised border wall and again refusing to criticize Russia.

The defense of Arpaio came amid a longer than expected news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in which Trump took more questions than either man planned.

Trump pushed back against accusations that he had tried to hide the controversial pardon of Arpaio by releasing it on a Friday night as Hurricane Harvey headed toward Texas. Instead, Trump asserted that he believed the television ratings would be higher than normal because so many people were monitoring the storm.

“Sheriff Joe is a patriot,” Trump said. “Sheriff Joe loves our country. Sheriff Joe protected our borders.”

The president said his pardon was no more controversial than other presidents. He pulled out a list of notes from his pocket, reading the names of figures pardoned by his past two Democratic predecessors, Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Apraio was convicted of violating a federal court order to stop his practice of racial profiling Latinos.

The pardon was criticized by Arizona Sen. John McCain among other Republicans, but Trump pointed to a boisterous rally in Arizona last week as evidence that the people of Arizona stand with him.

In fact, Arpaio, a high-profile Trump campaign supporter, lost a popular election in Maricopa County in November, which Trump attributed to “unbelievably” unfair treatment

In a moment of levity, as Trump continued to take questions, he good-naturedly chided the Finnish president for calling upon the same female Finnish reporter twice. In fact, Niinisto had called upon different women.

“We have a lot of blond women in Finland,” the reporter joked.

Trump also remained defiant on two other issues that have come up frequently in his presidency — the proposal to build a larger border wall with Mexico and his relationship with Russia.

“I say it loud and clear, I’ve been saying for years,” Trump said. “I think it’s a good thing if we have great relationships, or at least good relationships, with Russia. That’s very important and I believe some day that will happen.”

Asked if he viewed Russia as a security threat, Trump demurred, saying he views many nations as security threats, but declining to mention Russia by name.

The comments came amid new revelations about his campaign’s ties to Russia, the subject of a federal investigation into election meddling.

On the wall, Trump declined to back down from recent threats that he would allow the government to shut down if Congress refuses to provide more money for the wall. During the campaign, Trump said that Mexico would pay for the wall, something Mexican officials have repeatedly dismissed as a nonstarter.

“We may fund it through the United States but ultimately Mexico will pay for the wall,” Trump said.