WASHINGTON ― An advocacy group run by former government attorneys says President Donald Trump’s pardon of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio is unconstitutional, and is urging a district court judge to refuse Arpaio’s request to vacate his contempt of court conviction. Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan organization founded by alumni of the Obama administration, argued in an amicus brief on Monday that the president had overstepped his authority by pardoning Arpaio, who had endorsed Trump for president. The brief comes the day the Department of Justice, led by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, sided with Arpaio in arguing that his conviction should be dismissed. “The Arpaio Pardon does not faithfully execute the law; it sends a signal that public officials, so long as they are allies of the President, need not execute the law at all,” the filing reads. Pardoning Arpaio breached Trump’s duty to protect and defend the Constitution, the Protect Democracy filing argues.

Source: Huffington Post September 11, 2017 21:22 UTC