Ryan cites ‘special responsibility,’ criticizes pardon
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Paul Ryan became one of a few top Republicans to publicly disagree with President Donald Trump’s pardon Friday of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
“The speaker does not agree with this decision,” Ryan spokesman Doug Andres said. “Law enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States. We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon.”
The former sheriff was convicted of defying a court order to stop his department’s racial profiling of Latino residents suspected of illegally immigrating to Arizona.
The state’s two senators, John Mccain and Jeff Flake, both expressed their disapproval.
But White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert on Sunday defended the decision, calling it a “straightforward” case of clemency for an aging man with a history of military service.
Bossert denied accusations by lawmakers, including Mccain, who argued that the pardon demonstrates Trump’s contempt for the rule of law.
“Just about every modern president ends up with some controversial pardons,” Bossert said on ABC News’ “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” “I don’t think it’s fair to characterize him as not caring about the rule of law.”
“I’m pretty certain that this is not something that will threaten our constitutional order,” Arpaio added.