Pardon me? Not today, Sheriff Joe

PRESIDENT TRUMP was not bringing a gift for a controversial Arizona sheriff as he visited the state Tuesday. The White House said the commander-in-chief would not pardon former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (photo inset) during his visit to Phoenix. “There will be no discussion of that today at any point, and no action will be taken on that front at any point today,” she said. Some had suspected that Trump would use a Tuesday rally to announce the move after he said last week that he was considering a pardon for his political supporter. Arpaio, who gained national recognition as an opponent of immigration, faces up to six months in prison for criminal contempt after ignoring a 2011 federal court order to stop patrols designed to look for undocumented workers. “He’s a great American patriot and I hate to see what has happened to him,” Trump told Fox News. Arpaio, 85, has maintained that he has not asked for the pardon, but has made clear he would welcome one. He still appeared to have hope on Tuesday, telling Vice News Trump “didn’t say he’s not going to do it” — just that he wouldn’t do it during the visit.