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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 18 april 2018
Special prosecutor

appointed to defend

Arpaio case ruling

By JACQUES BILLEAUD ing Jeff Flake, was accused
Associated Press of prolonging the patrols
PHOENIX (AP) — A spe- for 17 months to boost his
cial prosecutor will be ap- successful 2012 re-election
pointed in an appeal over campaign.
the pardon of former metro Jack Wilenchik, a lawyer
Phoenix Sheriff Joe Arpaio's representing Arpaio, ac-
conviction for disobeying a cused the appeals court In this Jan. 10, 2018, file photo, former Maricopa County Sheriff
and U.S. Senate candidate Joe Arpaio speaks at his office in
court order because Presi- of appointing a special Fountain Hills, Ariz.
dent Donald Trump's Jus- prosecutor because it did Associated Press
tice Department is now re- not like the outcome of the
fusing to handle the case, case. The pardon issued in late 2016 primary election in
an appeals court ruled "To be appointing a new August spared the 85-year- his last race for sheriff of
Tuesday. lawyer is really the 9th Cir- old Arpaio a possible jail Maricopa County, a judge
The U.S. 9th Circuit of or- cuit taking a position on the sentence. who was nominated to the
dered the appointment case, which it shouldn't be Arpaio and his critics have bench by President George
because the Justice De- doing," Wilenchik said. complained that the case W. Bush had recommend-
partment lawyers who won Arpaio said the president has been influenced by ed the criminal charge as
the conviction have since made the right decision in politics. part of racial profiling law-
declined to defend a court issuing his pardon. Arpaio maintains the crimi- suit over the sheriff's immi-
ruling that dismissed the "I am not guilty," Arpaio nal case was a political gration patrols.
case but did not erase Ar- said. "To this day, I will say vendetta launched against Another federal judge who
paio's criminal record after that." him by the Obama admin- was nominated by Presi-
Trump issued the pardon. The retired sheriff is appeal- istration over the sheriff's im- dent Bill Clinton then filed
Arpaio is a Trump ally, is run- ing the lower-court ruling migration crackdowns. the criminal charge against
ning for a U.S. Senate seat that refused to expunge his His critics have said the Arpaio about three months
and wants the court re- criminal record. pardon was political re- before Obama left office.
cords related to his convic- The groups opposed to payment for Arpaio's en- Prosecutors from Trump's
tion expunged. Arpaio's pardon are using dorsement of Trump during Justice Department
Legal advocacy groups the same appeals process the 2016 presidential cam- brought the case to trial
that focus on free speech, to challenge clemency for paign. last summer and won the
democracy and civil rights him. Ten days before Arpaio's conviction.q
had asked for the prosecu-
tor and have mounted a
challenge to Trump's par-
don of the former six-term
sheriff, a Republican who
lost to a little-known Demo-
cratic challenger in 2016.
A federal judge last sum-
mer found Arpaio guilty of
contempt of court for in-
tentionally defying a 2011
court order that barred his
traffic patrols targeting im-
migrants.
Arpaio, now running for the
Senate seat by the outgo-