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Conservative Washington Examiner: Trump "embraces lawless disorder with Arpaio pardon"
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-once-the-law-and-order-candidate-embraces-lawless-disorder-with-arpaio-pardon/article/2632672President Trump described himself as "the law and order candidate" on the campaign trail, but he has consistently shown he really meant "the candidate of busting heads."
Trump's pardon of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio — a man who responded to overly-lax immigration enforcement with a lawless and overly-harsh crackdown on illegal immigrants and suspected illegal immigrants — showed once again Trump really means "busting heads" when he says "law and order."
-snip-
If judicial decisions are not given their proper respect, the rule of law will break down. That's not to say precedent can't be overturned or convictions can't be appealed, but established judicial processes must be followed.
If Arpaio were later given an excessively-harsh sentence, a commutation might be in order. But Arpaio's conviction was punishable by up to only six months in jail – hardly a mean sentence, even for an 85-year-old.
In the normal pardon process, convicts apply to the Office of the Pardon Attorney at the Department of Justice. That office reviews each case and makes a recommendation to the deputy attorney general, who gives a recommendation to the president. It's an established process that is only rarely slighted, and with good reason: the president has wide authority to grant pardons, and it's an authority that can easily be abused.
In this case, it's clear Trump has abused that power for a friend and political ally.
-snip-
Trump's pardon of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio — a man who responded to overly-lax immigration enforcement with a lawless and overly-harsh crackdown on illegal immigrants and suspected illegal immigrants — showed once again Trump really means "busting heads" when he says "law and order."
-snip-
If judicial decisions are not given their proper respect, the rule of law will break down. That's not to say precedent can't be overturned or convictions can't be appealed, but established judicial processes must be followed.
If Arpaio were later given an excessively-harsh sentence, a commutation might be in order. But Arpaio's conviction was punishable by up to only six months in jail – hardly a mean sentence, even for an 85-year-old.
In the normal pardon process, convicts apply to the Office of the Pardon Attorney at the Department of Justice. That office reviews each case and makes a recommendation to the deputy attorney general, who gives a recommendation to the president. It's an established process that is only rarely slighted, and with good reason: the president has wide authority to grant pardons, and it's an authority that can easily be abused.
In this case, it's clear Trump has abused that power for a friend and political ally.
-snip-
