Joe Arpaio Defends Interviews With Anti-Semitic Site

The Arizona Republic reports:

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe Arpaio has given several interviews to a publication that traffics in anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and on Wednesday declined an opportunity to distance himself from the extremist material.

Arpaio, the controversial former Maricopa County sheriff, said he was unfamiliar with other stories on the “American Free Press” website, such as an interview with the author of an anti-Semitic book that was headlined “Jewish Fingerprints All Over 9-11.” But Arpaio declined to criticize it or other anti-Semitic content associated with the publication.

“I’m not going to criticize the news media like you,” Arpaio told The Arizona Republic. “I can’t believe another news outlet is criticizing a newspaper.” CNN last week reported that Lou Barletta, a GOP Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, gave an interview to the “American Free Press” in October 2006. Since 2014, Arpaio has given at least five interviews to it.

The books for sale on the site are exactly what you’d expect.