Democratic Fury, and Mostly G.O.P. Silence, Over Trumps Pardon of Arpaio
Source: nytimes
Maggie Haberman
6-8 minutes
President Trump’s end-of-the-week pardon of the former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, a campaign supporter who shares Mr. Trump’s hard-line views on immigration, touched off a political outcry that did not abate on Saturday even as much of the nation was focused on a hurricane that pummeled Texas.
Democrats condemned the president’s decision, which was made public by the White House on Friday night as Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm, churned toward the Texas coast. Some Republicans praised the move, and others criticized it, but most remained silent about a decision that further entangles the party in racial controversy.
Jesse Lehrich, a spokesman for Organizing for Action, the political group that grew out of former President Barack Obama’s campaigns, said the pardon “signals a disturbing tolerance for those who engage in bigotry.”
He added: “It sends an unsettling message to immigrants across the country. And it’s a repudiation of the rule of law. As a massive hurricane is hurtling toward the southern United States, the White House is focused not on saving lives, but on pardoning a man who committed unlawful acts of racial discrimination.”..........................................
Viridiana Hernandez spoke out on Friday in Phoenix against the pardon of Joe Arpaio, former sheriff of Maricopa County. Caitlin O'Hara/Reuters
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/26/us/politics/political-reaction-trump-pardon-arpaio.html?rref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2FRace/Related&action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&module=Collection®ion=Marginalia&src=me&version=spotlight&pgtype=ar
GoP "leaders" Mitch and Paul Ryan have been silent as far as I know
Link to tweet
= new reply since forum marked as read
... as long as he's pro-Trump.
