28th August 2017, 8:27 PM
I know it's a long list, but of all the terrible things Trump has done as President, I think that pardoning Joe Arpaio might be the very worst one. By pardoning a very obviously guilty man who persecuted and horribly mistreated large numbers of people over many decades, Trump sends two messages:
First, for white nationalists, Neo-Nazis, neo-Confederates, racists, and their ilk, Trump stands with you and is one of you. Trump is the most openly racist president since Woodrow Wilson, but has none of Wilson's good traits to ameliorate the bad. Trump would surely like it if there were more Charlottesville-like racist rallies.
And second, for anyone worried about the Mueller investigation, don't; Trump will pardon you of any federal charges they bring up. Don't talk to them, I'll just pardon my way out of this, says Trump! I've found this loophole in the Constitution that is called the pardon power, and having abused it once I will surely continue to do so.
So, between those two things, pardoning Arpaio is an utterly revolting act which takes America one more step towards the failure of our political system; you cannot have Presidents pardoning their people for extremely blatant crimes while the Congress looks the other way if we want to continue being a functioning democracy! Maybe it won't work out for him and this will end with Trump being removed from office, but until that happens this is a clear signal that he will resist with everything he's got, and he will help out the extreme right as much as he can along the way. It's revolting that America has come to this.
First, for white nationalists, Neo-Nazis, neo-Confederates, racists, and their ilk, Trump stands with you and is one of you. Trump is the most openly racist president since Woodrow Wilson, but has none of Wilson's good traits to ameliorate the bad. Trump would surely like it if there were more Charlottesville-like racist rallies.
And second, for anyone worried about the Mueller investigation, don't; Trump will pardon you of any federal charges they bring up. Don't talk to them, I'll just pardon my way out of this, says Trump! I've found this loophole in the Constitution that is called the pardon power, and having abused it once I will surely continue to do so.
So, between those two things, pardoning Arpaio is an utterly revolting act which takes America one more step towards the failure of our political system; you cannot have Presidents pardoning their people for extremely blatant crimes while the Congress looks the other way if we want to continue being a functioning democracy! Maybe it won't work out for him and this will end with Trump being removed from office, but until that happens this is a clear signal that he will resist with everything he's got, and he will help out the extreme right as much as he can along the way. It's revolting that America has come to this.