header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
September 18
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital


Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Photo: Courthouse News

U.S. Rep. Steve Knight termed President Donald Trump’s pardon of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio “improper” in a letter to a constituent Monday.

Knight, R-Palmdale, a retired LAPD officer, was responding to an inquiry from John Windsor of Castaic, who expressed concerns regarding the propriety of the pardon.

Arpaio was convicted of racial profiling and discrimination, but not yet sentenced when he was pardoned.

The text of Knight’s letter to Windsor follows:

September 11, 2017

Mr. John Windsor

(address on) Live Oak Road, Castaic

 

Dear Mr. Windsor:

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about President Trump pardoning Sheriff Joe Arpaio. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

As you may know, Arpaio is the former Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. During his tenure, Arpaio became an extremely controversial figure for his strategies to combat illegal immigration and management of the county jail. In addition, Arpaio became notorious several years ago for pushing the debunked theory that President Obama was not born in the United States.

After Arpaio was sued for allegations that his practices promoted racial profiling and discrimination, a federal judge issued an order for the Sheriff to immediately stop the practices in question. Despite this order, Arpaio continued these practices and was later convicted of contempt of court and further proceedings were being conducted for alleged criminal intent.

On August 25, President Trump issued a Presidential Pardon for Arpaio, despite the fact that there has yet to be any sentence levied against the former Sheriff. In addition, this pardon was not processed through the normal Department of Justice clemency procedures. While the office of the President reserves the authority to grant pardons as best seen fit, the circumstances surrounding this case and nature of Arpaio’s transgressions lead me to believe this pardon was improper.

As a former LAPD officer, the rule of law and the order established by the judiciary is extremely important to me. Given that Arpaio was a vocal and ardent supporter of President Trump throughout the 2016 election, I am deeply concerned that this pardon may have been issued as a political favor rather than a tool for justice. In addition, reports of the tactics used by Arpaio’s Sheriff’s Department do not reflect an organization that treated all of its constituents equally under the law. Many of his decisions seem to have been for the purpose of generating media attention, rather than being in the service of justice and order.

While past Presidents have used their pardon powers for controversial reasons that many deemed improper, this does not give a pass to the current administration to do so as well. It is my hope that President Trump exercises more prudence in future deliberations over this immense responsibility. Rest assured I will keep your thoughts in mind as I continue to monitor the administration’s actions and as my colleagues and I in congress continue to serve the American people.

As always, I appreciate your feedback and look forward to hearing from you in the future. It is an honor to represent you in Congress. For more information on constituent services, current legislation, and to sign up for my E-newsletter, please visit my website at www.knight.house.gov.
Sincerely,
(signed)
Steve Knight
Member of Congress

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

29 Comments

  1. Eva Gritz says:

    Now, That is shocking! ~Peace and Love~

  2. Sally Mehr says:

    Not improper at all…

  3. Sandra Knopf says:

    I think the court decision was improper and the Pardon was the easiest way to correct it.

  4. Keep an eye on all Trump activity. Not goid for GOP, not good for country.

  5. Lyn O'Kane says:

    Knight is an idiot

  6. And this type of though is exactly why people like joe arpaio still exist. A bullet through his head. Calling names that are made up.
    It does nothing for your cause. It just makes you look intolerant.

    If you truly feel that this man is a racist and so bad, you should be talking about how you would like to see better for this country, not promoting more violence toward other humans.

    But hey, to each their own I guess.

  7. Ron Entrekin says:

    Good for Rep. Knight! And I don’t say that often.
    God forbid we let the facts of the case interfere with our opinion.

  8. Jeanne M says:

    When I want elect Knight (not) to be President I will give a crap about what he thinks about this.

    Thank goodness we don’t have a “hall monitor” as President more worried about procedure than fairness.

  9. Jon Real says:

    Why is he a racist? Because he up held the law? Sad! You’re doing a lot of personal attacks against people with no true substance!

  10. Sheriff Joe is awesome!

  11. Dick Jeffrey says:

    I am sad to hear that our Congressman Knight has chosen to side against our President on this issue. Chief Arpio has proven himself an ardent supporter of the law when constitutionally correct and within his powers to do so. The left has taken it upon themselves to constantly attack the Chief and were determined to destroy him at all costs. Arpio is over 80 years old with a lifetime of BRAVE AND HONORABLE SERVICE and is absolutely undeserving of such treatment. I’ve noticed that Congressman Knight has followed his leaders in the House in being less than supportive of our Commander in Chief and find his lack of support petsonally disappointing and deplorable. This is a turning point for me Steve.

    • eileen says:

      Arpaio is a blatant racist and a lawbreaker! If you support him, you are the same as he is. I am not a supporter of Congressman Knight, but he absolutely made the right call on this issue! We need our representatives to stand up to Trump and his misogyny, racism, and ego. And, if you really do like the guy, at least spell his name correctly!

  12. I don’t agree with many of Rep. Knights positions, but I certainly do on this one.

  13. So what’s he gonna do about it?

  14. Patty Ann says:

    We need more people like Sheriff Joe running our prisons.

  15. Patty Ann says:

    Name calling makes you look so grown up.

  16. I don’t think it matters what Knight thinks about it! #moveon

  17. Kj Allen says:

    Calling people names makes your post childish.

  18. Rory Csaszar says:

    Jon Real i love how you say SAD! just like trump does on twitter! you must be related to that fat chimp.

  19. Taking my vote back stevie.

  20. Mike says:

    At what point will people who follow politicians ever word, wake up and realize these people are born blowhards…of nonsense…just like Hollywood folks whose ego’s prevent any real leadership… think for yourselves…and get your head out of the sand…the media is a simple promoter of angles of argument… left or right…OK mostly left..left.. come on…”improper?”….its whining …politicing…gaming…you can’t take a person seriously who couldn’t compete in the workplace…to save his life…jerry brown fantasy land alive n well after smoking too much pot…for many many years… improper ha! What a joke we pay these loosers…

  21. Norm Tatlock says:

    Unless Knight believes all pardons are improper, I’m curious to hear his reply to Obama’s 1,927 pardons – who pardoned more criminals than the previous 13 presidents combined.

  22. mellie says:

    Steve Knight is turning into a leftist; I wonder how many of them have gotten to him. He obviously doesn’t know the laws that he should know, given what his job is. Sheriff Joe should never have been arrested and put on trial simply for doing his job, which was following the existing law protecting the American people. Knight needs to be removed.

  23. Mary Rivera says:

    Racial profiling is discrimination but until all states and the federal government actually define, ban and criminalize such actions, the practice will never end.

  24. Guy Nohrenberg says:

    Shocking only to those who have perpetuated the stereotyping and pigeinholing of Congressman Knight. As the Left Extremists struggle to attach labels of unfairness, they are continually brought back from their artificial high, to the reality that our congressman is a fair and honest man. Reality is shocking isn’t it Hippies! ???

Leave a Comment


SCV NewsBreak
LOCAL NEWS HEADLINES
Wednesday, Sep 18, 2024
Sept. 21: JCI Invites All Veterans to Upcoming Resource Fair
JCI Santa Clarita is proud to announce the upcoming Veteran’s Resource Fair, scheduled to take place on Sept. 21 at William S. Hart Park. 
Tuesday, Sep 17, 2024
Sept. 19: SENSES Pirate Block Party
Get ready to set sail at the Pirates SENSES Block Party, presented by the city of Santa Clarita, Thursday, Sept 19 from 7-10 p.m. on main street in Old Town Newhall.
Tuesday, Sep 17, 2024
Foothill League Football Begins for SCV Teams
Six of the seven Foothill League Varsity football teams begin league play Friday night, Sept. 20.
Keep Up With Our Facebook

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
The Counties of Los Angeles and San Bernardino today announced the opening of multiple joint Local Assistance Centers to assist residents impacted by the Bridge and Line Fires.
L.A., San Bernardino Counties to Open Joint Local Assistance Centers for Residents Impacted by Bridge and Line Fires
Valencia Gynecology Associates, owned by longtime Santa Clarita Valley OB-GYN physician Don Nishiguchi, MD, has joined the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital network. 
Valencia Gynecology Assoc. Joins Henry Mayo Network
JCI Santa Clarita is proud to announce the upcoming Veteran’s Resource Fair, scheduled to take place on Sept. 21 at William S. Hart Park. 
Sept. 21: JCI Invites All Veterans to Upcoming Resource Fair
A "friendies" field tournament  is being  hosted by the Saugus Instrumental Music program, with support from Valencia High, later this month. 
Sept. 21: All Valley Showcase Comes to Valencia High
Public, member-supported 88.5 FM The SoCal Sound, Southern California’s leading Triple-A (adult album alternative) format radio station has announced the lineup for its inaugural “Year-End Bash” taking place on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Dec. 7: CSUN Owned 88.5-FM The SoCal Sound Announces “Year End Bash” Lineup featuring Ben Gibbard
The Master's University cross-country teams continued their successful 2024 campaigns with strong finishes at the BIOLA Invitational on Friday, Sept. 13 at Craig Regional Park in Fullerton, Calif.
TMU Women Win, Men Place Second at XC Invitational
Sheriff’s Department Announces New Law Enforcement Gang Policy
Sheriff’s Department Announces New Law Enforcement Gang Policy
The biology department at California State University, Northridge has stayed committed to promoting STEM research carried out by K-12 students and teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
CSUN Student Research Journal Celebrates 28 Years of Inspiring Scientific Imagination
Did you know the SCVEDC has an interactive, online tool that provides themed virtual tours of the amazing features the community has to offer? 
Take a Virtual Tour of the Santa Clarita Valley
California Institute of the Arts alum and visionary filmmaker Tim Burton (Film/Video 1979) was honored with the 2,788th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
CalArts Alum Tim Burton Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center welcomes back Jim Curry for an evening concert celebrating the music of John Denver on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at Bella Vida.
Oct. 5: SCV Senior Center Welcomes Jim Curry ‘Take Me Home’
As part of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency's ongoing commitment to ensuring local groundwater quality and reliability, the SCV Water recently began construction on a new treatment facility to remove perchlorate and volatile organic compounds at Well 205 in Valencia.
SCV Water Begins New Water Treatment Project in Valencia
Get ready to set sail at the Pirates SENSES Block Party, presented by the city of Santa Clarita, Thursday, Sept 19 from 7-10 p.m. on main street in Old Town Newhall.
Sept. 19: SENSES Pirate Block Party
No. 21 College of the Canyons football team knocked off No. 5 Fullerton College 29-13 on Saturday night behind a stifling defensive effort and five field goals from Luis Rodriguez.
No. 21 Canyons Knocks Off No. 5 Fullerton 29-13
Six of the seven Foothill League Varsity football teams begin league play Friday night, Sept. 20.
Foothill League Football Begins for SCV Teams
The California Institute of the Arts will present the "NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball", Friday, Oct. 4, 7-11 p.m. at 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355.
Oct. 4: NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball at Cal Arts
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating two human cases of a rare parasitic infection, Baylisascaris procyonis, also known as raccoon roundworm.
Public Health Investigating Disease Spread from Animals to Humans
1879 - First official Newhall School building erected near Walnut & Ninth streets [story]
First Newhall School
The city of Santa Clarita is hosting Make A Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 26 and is looking for enthusiastic residents to volunteer for various projects that benefit local nonprofits, as well as the city.
Oct. 26: Volunteers Needed for Make a Difference Day
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and PathPoint announced the graduation of Aiden Land and Andrew Mendence from the Project SEARCH internship program.
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, PathPoint Celebrate Grad Interns
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced upcoming community information meetings about Learning Post Academy Independent Study School, Thursday, Sept. 18 and Friday, Sept. 19.
Sept. 18-19: Learning Post Academy Online Information Meetings
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting Wednesday, Sept. 18, 5 p.m. in open session to interview and appoint a new trustee for Area 5.
Sept. 18: COC Board to Interview, Appoint Area 5 Trustee
The city of Santa Clarita wants to remind residents that volunteer registration is open for the 29th Annual River Rally Cleanup and Environmental Expo scheduled for next Saturday, Sept. 21, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the William S. Hart Pony Baseball and Softball Complex, 23780 Auto Center Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Sept. 20: Last Chance to Register for the River Rally
SCVNews.com