President Donald Trump issued a pardon to Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, on Friday.
This was the first pardon granted by Trump since he took office this year. The former sheriff, who lost his position in the Nov. 8 election, was convicted of criminal contempt in July. The conviction stemmed from an order in 2011 from a federal judge, who ordered him to stop detaining people based solely on suspicion of being in the country illegally.
Arpaio thanked the president for the pardon on Twitter, and also linked to a website where his supporters could donate to a fund set up to offset the costs for the legal battle that resulted in his conviction.
Arpaio gained national attention for conditions in his semi-outdoor jail due to prisoners being forced to live in Korean War-era tents and wear pink underwear. He even referred to the facility, Tent City, as a concentration camp in a 2010 speech.
The sheriff is also credited with fueling the birther movement, which argued President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and had forged his birth certificate. Trump was a major proponent of this movement, even making posts on Twitter commending Arpaio for the related investigation.
Jesse Naranjo
