Arpaio Asks ‘Biased’ Judge to Overturn His Conviction

Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Monday lashed out at his critics and insisted he “didn’t do anything wrong” in the racial-profiling case that left him facing jail time before President Trump’s pardon last week. Arpaio blamed his court conviction on a “biased” judge who he claims acted unfairly, providing no details but saying that “it’s all documented—the bias and everything else,” the Associated Press reports. Apparently emboldened by Trump’s praise of him as a “patriot” following his pardon, Arpaio blamed widespread criticism of the move on the judge who convicted him. “Why are they speaking out right now? I’ve been sheriff for 24 years. Are they coming out against me because of a biased judge?” he said. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton found Arpaio guilty of contempt of court last month for ignoring a court order to stop racial-profiling practices in his department. Arpaio’s lawyers filed paperwork Monday seeking to overturn that conviction, according to the report.