US President Donald Trump has come under fire from within the Republican Party over his decision to pardon a former Arizona sheriff convicted of criminal contempt in a racial profiling case.
Key points:
- Paul Ryan reiterated that police must “respect the rights of everyone”
- Joe Arpaio was convicted for ignoring a court order barring officers from racially profiling motorists
- Latino motorists were targeted on the suspicion they were illegal immigrants
Mr Trump yesterday announced he was pardoning Joe Arpaio, an anti-immigration hardliner found guilty last month for flouting a 2011 court order that barred officers from detaining Latino motorists solely on the suspicion they were illegal immigrants.
The Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, Paul Ryan, was one of a handful of prominent Republicans who opposed the pardon.
“Law enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States,” Mr Ryan’s spokesman, Doug Andres, said in a statement.
“We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon.
“The speaker does not agree with the decision.”
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