President Donald Trump said Monday he decided to pardon former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio as Hurricane Harvey was about to hit Texas because ratings would be high.
“In the middle of a hurricane, even though it was a Friday evening, I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they would be normally,” he said during a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.
Trump went on to echo his Friday statement, saying he granted the pardon because of Arpaio’s long career.
“He’s done a great job for the people of Arizona,” the president said. “He’s very strong on borders, very strong on illegal immigration.
“He is loved in Arizona.”