The President spoke for 4 minutes on the controversial pardon - reading from a prepared script for part of the time comparing the pardon to past bad guys pardoned by Democratic predecessors. He concluded that he "stand(s) by my pardon of Sheriff Joe, and I think the people of Arizona who really know him best would agree with me."
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ROBERTS>> MR. PRESIDENT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. PRESIDENT NIINISTO, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU AS WELL, BUT IF I COULD START WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP. IN THE MIDDLE OF HURRICANE HARVEY HITTING FRIDAY NIGHT,YOU CHOSE TO PARDON SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO. I WONDER IF YOU CAN TELLUS, WHAT WAS BEHIND YOUR THINKING FOR ISSUING THE PARDON, AND WHAT DO YOU SAY TO YOUR CRITICS, EVEN SOME IN YOUR OWN PARTY,WHO SAY IT WAS THE WRONG THING TO DO?
TRUMP >> WELL, A LOT OF PEOPLETHINK IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. ACTUALLY, IN THE MIDDLE OF A HURRICANE, I ASSUMED THE RATINGS WOULD BE FAR HIGHER THAN THEYWERE NORMALLY. AND I PUT IT OUT THAT I HAD PARDONED, AS WE SAY, SHERIFF JOE. HE'S DONE A GREAT JOB FOR THE PEOPLE OF ARIZONA. HE'S VERY STRONG ON BORDERS. VERY STRONG ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. HE IS LOVED IN ARIZONA. I THOUGHT HE WAS TREATED UNBELIEVABLY UNFAIRLY WHEN THEY CAME DOWN WITH THEIR BIG DECISION TO GO GET HIM RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION VOTING STARTED, AS YOU KNOW, ANDHE LOST IN A FAIRLY CLOSE ELECTION. HE WOULD HAVE WON THE ELECTION BUT THEY JUST HAMMERED HIM, JUST BEFORE THE ELECTION. ITHOUGHT THAT WAS A VERY, VERY UNFAIR THING TO DO. WHEN I MENTIONED HIM THE OTHER NIGHT, YOU SAW THE MASSIVE CROWD WEHAD. THE PEOPLE WENT CRAZY WHEN I SAID, WHAT DO YOU THINK OFSHERIFF JOE, OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. THE PLACE WENT CRAZYWHEN I WAS IN ARIZONA LAST WEEK. AND AS FAR AS PARDONS ARE CONCERNED, I ACTUALLY DID THIS JUST BEFORE THE MEETING, BECAUSE I ASSUME THAT SOMEBODY WOULD ASK ME THE QUESTION. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT WOULD BE YOU. I THOUGHT I WOULD. AND SHERIFF JOE IS A GREAT VETERAN OF THE MILITARY. GREAT LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSON. SOMEBODY THAT'S WON MANY ELECTIONS IN THE STATE OF ARIZONA. BUT I WANTED TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT WERE PARDONED OVER THE YEARS. AND IF YOU LOOK AT, AS AN EXAMPLE,PRESIDENT CLINTON PARDONED MARK RICH, WHO WAS CHARGED WITH CRIMES GOING BACK DECADES, INCLUDING ILLEGALLY BUYING OIL FROM IRAN WHILE IT HELD 53 AMERICAN HOSTAGES, WASN'T ALLOWED TO DO THAT. SELLING TO THE ENEMIES OF THE UNITED STATES. HE WAS PARDONED AFTER HIS WIFE DONATED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO THE CLINTONS. THEN YOU HAVE DANGEROUS CRIMINALS. PRESIDENT CLINTON PARDONED SUSAN ROSEBURG, A MEMBER OF THE WEATHERED UNDERGROUND. PART OF A BANK ROBBERY THAT LED TO AGUARD AND TWO POLICE OFFICERS BEING KILLED. DRUG DEALERS.PRESIDENT CLINTON COME MUTED THE -- COMMUTED THE SENTENCE OF ACENTRAL PLAYER IN A COCAINE RING THAT STRETCHED FROM CALIFORNIA TO MINNESOTA. CRIMINAL LEAKER. YOU'VE HEARD THE WORD LEAKER? PRESIDENT OBAMA COMMUTED THE SENTENCE OF CHELSEA MANNING, WHO LEAKED COUNTLESS CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS TO WIKILEAKS,PERHAPS AND OTHERS. BUT HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE THING THAT HE DID,COMMUTED THE SENTENCE. AND PERHAPS PARDONED. PRESIDENT OBAMA COMMUTED THE SENTENCE OF OSCAR LOPEZ RIVERA, WHO WAS CHARGED AS PART OF A VIOLENT INDEPENDENCE GROUP FROM PUERTO RICO, RESPONSIBLE FOR 28 CHICAGO AREA BOMBINGS AND MANY DEATHS INTHE 1970'S AND 1980'S. SHERIFF JOE IS A PATRIOT. SHERIFF JOE LOVES OUR COUNTRY. SHERIFF JOE PROTECTED OUR BORDERS. AND SHERIFF JOE WAS VERY UNFAIRLY TREATED BY THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, ESPECIALLY RIGHT BEFORE AN ELECTION, AN ELECTION THAT HE WOULD HAVE WON. AND HE WAS ELECTED MANY TIMES. SO I STAND BY MY PARDON OF SHERIFF JOE AND I THINK THE PEOPLE OF ARIZONA, WHO REALLY KNOW HIM BEST, WOULD AGREE WITH ME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
BREAKING, READ: @RealSheriffJoe Arpaio Moves To Not Only Vacate Sentencing, But Un-do Guilty Verdict http://bit.ly/AZp1488
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