On Friday, Paul Ryan cut ties with the U.S. president following the pardon of Joe Arpaio who is ex-Maricopa County Sheriff, CNN reported. House Speaker Ryan is another top Republican who publicly criticized President Donald Trump over how he runs the government.
Joe Arpaio’s pardon is a wrong decision, Paul Ryan says
So far, Ryan is the top ranking Republican who has ended his ties with the U.S.
president. He told the media that he was strongly against Trump’s decision to pardon Joe Arpaio.
The 85-year-old Arpaio was "found guilty of criminal contempt last month for disregarding a court order in a racial-profiling case," CNN reported Civil rights group protested against his release, claiming that his crime was a major Constitutional violation.
Arpaio’s ties with Trump
Joe Arpaio was evidently an ardent supporter of Mr. Trump during his campaign for the presidency. Arpaio was noted for his conviction, which he called “a witch hunt by the Obama justice department.” The former Maricopa County Sheriff employed a violent stance on border security and deportation, similar to Trump.
House Speaker Paul Ryan is the most recent senior politician to publicly denounce Arpaio’s release. According to Ryan’s spokesperson, respecting the rights of every individual in the U.S. is a responsibility that all law enforcement officials should observe. “We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon," the spokesperson said.
Top Republicans like former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Senator John McCain criticized President Trump’s decision. And just like human rights campaigners and Democrats, Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona slammed Trump’s pardon of Arpaio.
Arpaio’s defense
Attorney Jack Wilenchik, the legal counsel of Arpaio, told the press that people should not be one-sided on his case.
He added further that Arpaio was prosecuted unjustly because no jury was present in his trial. Thus, Trump’s pardon is rather fair.
During the announcement of the pardon, President Donald Trump talked about the life and career of Arpaio before he became Maricopa County Sheriff. Trump said that Arpaio was enlisted in the Armed Forces at a very young age following the Korean War outbreak. Arpaio showed exemplary public service, Trump added.
President Trump concluded that Arpaio was unfairly convicted for just performing his duty as county sheriff. The president came to his aid by using his power to grant the pardon.