Trump admits he pardoned Joe Arpaio while Harvey approached Texas because he assumed 'ratings would be higher'
At a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto on Monday, President Trump was asked by Fox News reporter John Roberts to explain the thought process behind his pardon of controversial Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio. Trump pardoned Arpaio on Friday, just shy of one month after the 85-year-old was convicted of criminal contempt for detaining immigrants based on racial profiling.
Trump's pardon of Arpaio came as Tropical Storm Harvey — then a Category 4 hurricane — approached the Texas coast. He told Roberts that the timing wasn't an accident because "in the middle of a hurricane, even though it was a Friday evening, I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they would be normally":
At least eight people have died in Texas as a result of Harvey, as Houston is grappling with the worst flooding in the city's history. The storm is now moving east toward Louisiana, where Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said Monday, "The worst is yet to come."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 cinematic cartoons about Bezos betting big on 'Melania'Cartoons Artists take on a girlboss, a fetching newspaper, and more
-
The fall of the generals: China’s military purgeIn the Spotlight Xi Jinping’s extraordinary removal of senior general proves that no-one is safe from anti-corruption drive that has investigated millions
-
Why the Gorton and Denton by-election is a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’Talking Point Reform and the Greens have the Labour seat in their sights, but the constituency’s complex demographics make messaging tricky
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
