U.S.

President Trump Says He Might Pardon Former Arizona Sheriff

The president said in an interview with Fox News that he might pardon Joe Arpaio, who was found guilty of criminal contempt.

President Trump Says He Might Pardon Former Arizona Sheriff
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America's self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff" might be getting some presidential help with his legal troubles.

In an interview with Fox News, President Donald Trump said he was "seriously considering" pardoning former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Last week, Arpaio said he'd accept a pardon from Trump but that he wasn't going to ask for one.

Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt in late July after his department failed to follow a court order to stop racial profiling practices.

The president and Arpaio do have a history of mutual respect. Similar views on immigration seem to have brought them together early in the 2016 presidential campaign, when Arpaio endorsed Trump for president.

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"It's just easy to endorse him because everything I believe in he's doing, and he's going to do when he becomes president," Arpaio told a crowd.

And Trump said of Arpaio: "This is a man, when we talk about borders, this is a man that believes in borders."

Trump told Fox News the former sheriff is a "great American patriot" and praised his fight against undocumented immigrants.

Arpaio also helped handle security for Trump's rallies and spoke at a rally in Phoenix.

Arpaio is expected to be sentenced in October, but Trump said he may pardon him within the next few days.