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."