House Speaker Paul D. Ryan became one of a few top Republicans to publicly disagree with President Trump's pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, as lawmakers in Congress have become more willing to distance themselves from the White House, especially on issues of race. "The speaker does not agree with this decision," said Ryan spokesman Doug Andres. Few Republicans in Congress spoke publicly after Trump's pardon Friday of Arpaio, the former sheriff convicted of defying a court order to stop his department's racial profiling of Latino residents suspected of illegally immigrating to Arizona. Only after Trump's handling of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., did larger numbers of Republicans in Congress publicly break from their party's president. But criticizing Trump carries risks as evident in Ryan's statement on the Arpaio pardon.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 27, 2017 18:33 UTC