Back in December, the Justice Department found that the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office engaged in rampant civil rights violations, including profiling of Latinos and retaliation against critics. Since then, it's been negotiating with Sheriff Joe Arpaio to install an independent monitor. Well, last night, talks broke off.
“I am the constitutionally and legitimately elected Sheriff and I absolutely refuse to surrender my responsibility to the federal government,” he said in a letter the Justice Department today. “And so to the Obama administration, who is attempting to strong arm me into submission only for its political gain, I say, ‘This will not happen, not on my watch!’”
In December, the Justice Department released findings in its investigation of Arpaio’s office, noting there were significant civil rights violations, including the use of excessive force, and other systemic problems.
The Justice Department said in a letter to Arpaio’s attorney today that despite the sheriff’s office acknowledging the need for an independent judicial monitor to oversee reforms, “MCSO has now walked back from its agreement.”
According to the letter written by Roy Austin, the Civil Rights Division's number-two man, Arpaio's people canceled a scheduled meeting at the last minute and took over two weeks to reschedule it. Then just 24 hours before talks were to resume, Arpaio demanded that Justice drop its demand for an independent monitor. In Austin's view, this proves Arpaio was negotiating in bad faith. Now the DOJ is making noises about taking Arpaio and Maricopa County to court.
However, Arizona Republic columnist E. J. Montini isn't surprised it turned out this way. He thinks that the DOJ got pwned by Sheriff Joe.
You didn’t suspect that Arpaio was just pretending to go along?
That he wasn’t going to pawn off your investigation as revenge politics?
That he wasn’t going to turn that around and use politics to excuse the behavior of HIS office?
Now you could take him to court.
That is exactly what he wants.
If he wins, he gloats. If you win he says it is only because the judge is somehow a pawn of the administration.
From my North Carolinian's perspective, I find it hard to believe that Arpaio was playing the DOJ "like a fiddle," as Montini puts it. Maybe it's because conventional wisdom would suggest Sheriff Joe lost any capital he had when it emerged he'd
botched or ignored numerous cases of sexual abuse. Nope, I suspect that it may have something to do with Arpaio's birther kick. After all, just a few days before that cancelled meeting, Arpaio announced that he'd "found" evidence Obama's birth certificate was a forgery.
So it looks like Arpaio might have to answer to a judge after all. And by all accounts, that day is long overdue.
2:24 PM PT: Since this made the rec list, I thought I'd pass along that the Justice Department does indeed plan to take Arpaio to court for the volumnious civil rights violations it uncovered. Pass the popcorn (h/t to RhodaA in the comments).