# Does Trump's pardon of Arpaio really stand out from past pardons? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 29, 2017, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026 "2017-08-29T14:14:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/81 "2017-08-29T19:32:04Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > And why the hell don’t these same police abuses upset the right? There are, I’m sure, a fair number of police abuses that upset broad swaths of both the left and the right. There are others with more divided opinions. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > And in this case, I’m comparing the actions of just one cop with your catalogue of the left’s actions. Quite a difference in scale, huh? On a scale from 0 to 10, with Arpaio being a 10, the lefties in question come in at about 0.01. In a thread about Arpaio, you’re focusing on the gnat while swallowing a camel. My couple of off-the-top-of-my-head examples weren’t meant to be a comprehensive “catalogue of the left’s actions”. I wasn’t aware you wanted a one-on-one comparison. How would Arpaio vs Micah Xavier Johnson stack up on your 10-point scale, in your opinion? Is Micah more like a gnat or a camel? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/82 "2017-08-29T19:40:22Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > But overall, would you agree that on a scale of ‘bad –\> good’, Obama is much more to the good while Trump is far more to the bad? No, I don’t think I’d agree with that statement. I think it’s a safe bet that I see many more positive qualities in Trump and many more negative ones in Obama than most Dopers. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > When Obama said “bring a gun to a knife fight” do you think he meant it in a “mean and nasty” way? Was he being literal or was it a figurative expression? I think he was being figurative. The man does not like guns, and I don’t think he’d actually be supportive of the broad civilian gun ownership that would be required to enact a literal interpretation of his quote. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > Similarly, when Trump said something like, “Knock the hell out of 'em! I’ll pay your legal fees!”. Was he being literal or figurative? Probably figurative as well. If the Dope’s generalized attitude of Trump-is-only-in-it-for-the-money has any truth to it, he certainly wasn’t volunteering to part ways with his cash. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > Who do you think deserves the benefit of the doubt with respect to character and intent? I think they both probably deserve more of a benefit-of-the-doubt than they generally get from the opposite side. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/83 "2017-08-29T19:47:15Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > The question i was responding to was “Is this pardon really the end of our system of government as we know it?” No, it seems obvious to me that it is not. I don’t know how much more explanation that view requires. Do you think it is, and it’s so self-evident that it is “the end of our system of government as we know it” that you’re bewildered how anyone could reach a different conclusion? By itself, it’s just a single decision out of many that the president will make over a four year period. The destruction of a democratic system occurs probably not from a single act, but through a long process of corrosion. For the record, I’ve seen nobody here arguing that the president doesn’t have the legal authority to pardon Arpaio or anyone. The president has the legal power to do a lot of things, but the exercise of that power can have myriad consequences. We’re questioning whether or not the use of that power is wise, what it represents, and what the consequences are. If the president wants to use his power to overpower the ruling of a judge to require a public official to comply with court instructions, he can do that. But it’s probably corrosive in the sense that it voids the actions of the court judge who found that Arpaio had violated the civil rights of ordinary people. Is that what you want? Do you want sheriffs, not courts, to be able to decide what your rights are? Do you want your president pardoning that kind of law enforcement officer? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/84 "2017-08-29T19:51:00Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > No, I don’t think I’d agree with that statement. I think it’s a safe bet that I see many more positive qualities in Trump and many more negative ones in Obama than most Dopers. So you consider them on par from the standpoint of quality of character? Is one better/worse than the other? Which is which, IYO? > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I think he was being figurative. The man does not like guns, and I don’t think he’d actually be supportive of the broad civilian gun ownership that would be required to enact a literal interpretation of his quote. Agreed. > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Probably figurative as well. If the Dope’s generalized attitude of Trump-is-only-in-it-for-the-money has any truth to it, he certainly wasn’t volunteering to part ways with his cash. Whether or not he meant that he’d pay for legal fees for subsequent assault charges, do you think Trump meant for the protesters at his rallies to be assaulted? Did he intervene on their behalf when they were? > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I think they both probably deserve more of a benefit-of-the-doubt than they generally get from the opposite side. I’m speaking of something more specific, per above. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/85 "2017-08-29T19:56:47Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > No, I don’t think I’d agree with that statement. I think it’s a safe bet that I see many more positive qualities in Trump and many more negative ones in Obama than most Dopers. I’d actually be very interested in hearing what you (or anyone, for that matter) can see as a positive quality in Trump. Mostly what I hear from defenders is some variation of “yeah, he’s a fucking incompetent asshole, but at least we might get some of our agenda passed.” ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/86 "2017-08-29T20:00:35Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > So you consider them on par from the standpoint of quality of character? Is one better/worse than the other? Which is which, IYO? To explain my response a little: “Quality of character” is a rather specific question, not unlike “which one is more articulate?” (as opposed to the more general “good vs bad” you asked about earlier) and on the “quality of character” question, I think the advantage goes to Obama. He’s certainly a much better husband than Trump is (and Bill Clinton too), and that counts for quite a lot in my book. > [@QuickSilver](#): > > Whether or not he meant that he’d pay for legal fees for subsequent assault charges, do you think Trump meant for the protesters at his rallies to be assaulted? Did he intervene on their behalf when they were? I think Trump is a showman who wanted to look like a tough guy when he said it, and probably didn’t think through the consequences of what he was saying beyond “this will make me look tough”. To answer your question as directly as I can: no, I don’t think he actually meant for protesters at his rallies to be assaulted, but that’s largely a function of him not thinking about or considering the effects on the protesters at all and focusing entirely on the effect the words would have on himself and his campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/87 "2017-08-29T20:01:34Z")
Again I’d like to point out the key distinguishing feature that (in my opinion) makes Trump’s decision here corrosive. I could very easily support a commutation of any jail sentence for an 85 year old convict. That’s within the President’s powers, and it would ensure that Arpaio was not jailed for his contempt. That fair, and certainly defensible. So why did Trump need to issue a full pardon? The message here is, it seems to me: what Arpaio did should have no consequence. This is an unwise message. A court order can be fought if it’s illegal; it should be flouted only in the most extraordinary of circumstances. I have some quibbles with arguments from the left here. (Shockingly!) Those people who provide a litany of Arpaio’s supposed other sins are on shaky ground: he wasn’t convicted of any of them, and it’s not clear that they are illegal. So those arguments tend to read as, “Because of all my political disagreements with Arpaio, he can’t be pardoned!” The error there should be clear. But the basic problem is that he WAS convicted of something, and that crime is fair grounds for withholding a pardon. That crime symbolizes a very serious issue. The pardon equally symbolizes a rejection of the seriousness of the issue in a way that a commutation would not have done. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/88 "2017-08-29T20:17:53Z")
If Bull Connor had been around for a Trump pardon, I am sure **HurricaneDitka** would be playing his same semantic games. He’d be using the code word “pro-cop” to really mean “anti-civil rights.” He would be arguing that it isn’t all that big a deal to pardon an unrepentant racist, because our system of government will not have fallen. And maybe there would be some quibbling about whether the blacks carrying out protests on interstate busses actually had their permits in order, so maybe we lefties ought to think about his actions more as enforcing laws on the books rather than being about justice. Because, what is justice? What is a black person? What is a bus? Nobody should think for a moment that Arpaio isn’t much different than Connor. Both racists would do just as much as their community would allow to wield power in a racist way. Had Arpaio been in Alabama back a few decades, everyone knows down well he would be telling his officers to take a coffee break while the KKK goes to bust some skulls. Arpaio didn’t do that in Arizona, but he did as much as he thought he could get away with. And we will always find apologists are more worried about what words we use to condemn racist cops, rather than their abuse of a public trust. I suspect mostly because being white means one doesn’t have to think about racism all that much, but I guess there may be other explainations as well. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/89 "2017-08-29T20:22:32Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’d actually be very interested in hearing what you (or anyone, for that matter) can see as a positive quality in Trump. > > Mostly what I hear from defenders is some variation of “yeah, he’s a fucking incompetent asshole, but at least we might get some of our agenda passed.” It’s probably a topic for another thread, but to give one brief answer: I think President Trump really does empathize with the challenges facing the white working class voters (who turned out for him in large numbers and are largely credited with giving him his victory). Certainly moreso than BHO or HRC did. It’s like a somewhat more crass version of WJC’s ‘I feel your pain’. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/90 "2017-08-29T20:28:35Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > It’s probably a topic for another thread, but to give one brief answer: I think President Trump really does empathize with the challenges facing the white working class voters (who turned out for him in large numbers and are largely credited with giving him his victory). Certainly moreso than BHO or HRC did. It’s like a somewhat more crass version of WJC’s ‘I feel your pain’. > [@](#): > > em·pa·thize > ˈempəˌTHīz/ > verb > _understand and share the feelings of another_. Hmmm. Agreed, we’re on a tangent. But I can’t agree with this. He appealed to their worst instincts, perhaps. Not really a positive quality. He had no plan to help them, and no intention of helping them. He just made vague and impossible promises (MAGA, or “universal health care that would be so much better and so much cheaper.”). ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/91 "2017-08-29T20:30:44Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > It’s probably a topic for another thread, but to give one brief answer: I think President Trump really does empathize with the challenges facing the white working class voters (who turned out for him in large numbers and are largely credited with giving him his victory). Certainly moreso than BHO or HRC did. It’s like a somewhat more crass version of WJC’s ‘I feel your pain’. What in Trump’s personal history leads you to believe that he feels compassion or empathy for anyone outside of his very close circle of friends and family? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/92 "2017-08-29T20:32:06Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > To explain my response a little: “Quality of character” is a rather specific question, not unlike “which one is more articulate?” (as opposed to the more general “good vs bad” you asked about earlier) and on the “quality of character” question, I think the advantage goes to Obama. He’s certainly a much better husband than Trump is (and Bill Clinton too), and that counts for quite a lot in my book. I think you purposefully leave out a lot of other important metrics for measuring and comparing qualities of character between these two specific individuals. I also think you have a propensity for introducing variables that serve to distract rather than maintain focus in these types of discussions. > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I think Trump is a showman who wanted to look like a tough guy when he said it, and probably didn’t think through the consequences of what he was saying beyond “this will make me look tough”. To answer your question as directly as I can: no, I don’t think he actually meant for protesters at his rallies to be assaulted, but that’s largely a function of him not thinking about or considering the effects on the protesters at all and focusing entirely on the effect the words would have on himself and his campaign. I could (maybe) accept this line of reasoning if this was a one time occurrence. You and I both know it wasn’t. So I’m not sure what you hope to achieve by ignoring that important data point. It does not serve your argument well. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/93 "2017-08-29T20:32:46Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > [Yes.](https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-08-23/arpaio-pardon-would-show-contempt-for-constitution) OK, but I was asking about stuff they _didn’t_ put into the Constitution. Congress can impeach a President for pretty much anything they want - that’s not a violation of the Constitution or the rule of law. A President can pardon pretty much anyone he wants - that’s not a violation of the Constitution or the rule of law either. Also not sure what the Fourteenth Amendment has to do with anything, let alone pardoning some old coot for a misdemeanor. It’s not like he was caught [dealing cocaine](http://nypost.com/2017/02/06/drug-dealer-whose-sentence-was-commuted-by-obama-is-back-behind-bars/) or anything. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/94 "2017-08-29T20:41:28Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Again I’d like to point out the key distinguishing feature that (in my opinion) makes Trump’s decision here corrosive. I could very easily support a commutation of any jail sentence for an 85 year old convict. That’s within the President’s powers, and it would ensure that Arpaio was not jailed for his contempt. That fair, and certainly defensible. > > So why did Trump need to issue a full pardon? > > The message here is, it seems to me: what Arpaio did should have no consequence. This is an unwise message. A court order can be fought if it’s illegal; it should be flouted only in the most extraordinary of circumstances. > > I have some quibbles with arguments from the left here. (Shockingly!) Those people who provide a litany of Arpaio’s supposed other sins are on shaky ground: he wasn’t convicted of any of them, and it’s not clear that they are illegal. So those arguments tend to read as, “Because of all my political disagreements with Arpaio, he can’t be pardoned!” The error there should be clear. But the basic problem is that he WAS convicted of something, and that crime is fair grounds for withholding a pardon. That crime symbolizes a very serious issue. The pardon equally symbolizes a rejection of the seriousness of the issue in a way that a commutation would not have done. +1 ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/95 "2017-08-29T20:48:51Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > I think you purposefully leave out a lot of other important metrics for measuring and comparing qualities of character between these two specific individuals. I’m sure there are lots of ways of measuring something as vague as “quality of character”. I offered one metric that I thought was reasonable and significant. I’m not claiming it’s the only one, or even the best one. Are there some specific ones you’d like to suggest we consider? > [@QuickSilver](#): > > I also think you have a propensity for introducing variables that serve to distract rather than maintain focus in these types of discussions. I assume this was some objection to my mentioning of Bill Clinton’s shitbaggery? Or did I misunderstand you? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/96 "2017-08-29T23:03:03Z")
Many more posts than I expected in such a short time. I am still catching up. > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > The side that likes cops won the election. The side that likes cops who break the law. What Arpaio did wrong would fill another thread like this. > [@steronz](#): > > Article from 538 this morning: [The Arpaio pardon has plenty of precedents … that got other presidents in trouble.](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-arpaio-pardon-has-plenty-of-precedents-that-got-other-presidents-in-trouble/) Linked in OP. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/97 "2017-08-30T01:13:13Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > What am I missing here? Is this a particular part of this article that you think showcases hyperbole from the right? Could you rank these statements in order from most hyperbolic to least, in your opinion? > > 1. “… does not agree with this decision” > 2. “The President has the authority to make this pardon, but doing so at this time undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law” > 3. “Regarding the Arpaio pardon, I would have preferred that the President honor the judicial process and let it take its course.” > 4. “flagrant disregard for the rule of law in this country.” Strangely enough, in light of the fact that the statements come from a Fucking Republican, they are all one hundred percent objectively factual. No hyperbole applies to any of them, and “ranking” them is an exercise in pointlessness. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/98 "2017-08-30T01:21:18Z")
> [@somepumpkin](#): > > Oh, I think what he’s doing is horrible. I’d just as soon step on DT to keep my shoes clean/dry. Wouldn’t you be worried about contaminating your shoes? Thrillseeker. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/99 "2017-08-30T01:47:06Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > We’ve met. > > I am not sure of your point - do you think the 14th Amendment supersedes the President’s pardon power? If it’s not that - and I can hardly believe it is - what exactly did you mean to prove with your Wiki cite, if anything? > > Regards, > Shodan I think you can figure that one out all by yourself (at least I hope you can). I suspect you’re being deliberately literal-minded, but let’s see if I can clear it up for you succinctly. Arpaio violated the 14th Amendment, proudly and overtly and on a large scale. Trump approved the behavior by pardoning him. After all, who needs silly little things like a Constitution when you’re [del]the leader of the free world[/del] a tyrant? ---
**Author:** ![andrewm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@andrewm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andrewm)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026/100 "2017-08-30T02:03:33Z")
National Review has an article covering some interesting points. For one, why do it so soon? Sentencing hadn’t even occurred yet, and he wouldn’t have been jailed until all avenues of appeal (potentially up to the Supreme Court) had been exhausted. If an appeal succeeded, a pardon would be unnecessary and all the political backlash would be avoided. Another point was that the pardon prevents any further appeals. Possibly (unlikely but not impossible) the trial-by-judge aspect could have been overturned. Could be a useful precedent for their side, but can’t happen now. In short, there was no reason to do the pardon now. At the very least it should have waited until after sentencing (a month-plus out), or more likely until all appeals finished (possibly years out). Doing it own seems like it can only be for the purpose of sending a signal to others. > **[Trump’s Unmerited, Unnecessary, Impulsive Pardon of Sheriff Arpaio | National...](https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/08/trump-arpaio-pardon-unmerited-unnecessary-impulsive/)** > > There was no sensible reason to pardon Arpaio at this time. By waiting, Trump might have avoided doing it at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio-really-stand-out-from-past-pardons/795026.md?page=6)