By April Hamlin
On
August 25, Donald Trump announced he had pardoned America’s most racist
sheriff, Joe Arpaio.
Democrats
and Republicans alike have condemned Trump’s decision to let Arpaio off the
hook after he was convicted of contempt for refusing to stop his
discriminatory policing practices (aka concentration camps for suspected
illegal immigrants).
So, with his approval ratings already historically low, Trump
went ahead and sabotaged himself yet again. Why on earth would he do something
so stupid?
The answer is actually pretty simple and actually has very
little to do with Arpaio.
Arpaio’s pardon was just a test run for Trump to see what would happen if he used his pardon powers before he tries to pardon the people who are inevitably going to be busted by Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump’s collusion with Russia.
Trump wanted to see how such a
pardon would be received before he tried to do the same for his family,
friends, and even himself when they get nailed to the wall.
Trump chose to announce the pardon
at the same time Hurricane Harvey was ravaging the lower half of the of the
United States. Make no mistake, this was not a coincidence. This was all part
of the experiment, to see if the administration could slip in a pardon amid
other breaking news.
Arpaio’s pardon also sends a very
clear message to people like former national security adviser Michael Flynn and
former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, who currently find themselves at
the center of Mueller’s probe.
In fact, it just so happens that the
same day Trump announced the pardon, news also broke that Mueller was
increasing pressure on Flynn and Manafort in an effort to get them to turn on
Trump.
By pardoning Arpaio for his crimes,
Trump is telling the people who could flip on him that if they stay quiet and
stay loyal, he will bail them out of trouble in the end.
According to his Twitter page,
former White House ethics chief Walter Shaub thinks the same thing.
Walter Shaub ✔@waltshaubPardon motives? I suspect: Court alt-right votes, test water for more pardons, encourage loyalty, signal Mueller targets (fear not/be quiet)2:25 PM - Aug 26, 2017
Mark my words, Trump intends to pardon everyone who gets
busted for colluding with Russia to steal the 2016 presidential election,
including himself. Pardoning Arpaio was just a dry run before the things get
real.
Author April Hamlin has studied
political science, psychology, and philosophy. Back in the good old days she
was a reporter for “old fashioned” print newspapers. In addition to news and
politics, she also blogs about service dogs and disability advocacy.
