Probe Finds Joe Arpaio’s Office Ignored Court Orders

The Associated Press reports:

A court-appointed investigator concluded that high-ranking managers for former metro Phoenix Sheriff Joe Arpaio disregarded a federal judge’s order for Arpaio to halt immigration sweeps targeting Latinos, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The investigator also found an internal probe was whitewashed to shield the managers from accountability. The findings come as both Arpaio and a former top manager identified in the investigation are running in the 2020 Republican primary for the job as sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous.

The investigator’s findings cover alleged misconduct in Arpaio’s office from late 2011 through 2016. Arpaio, who became nationally known for his hardline on immigrants in the country illegally, lost his post as in 2016.

This also happened a few days ago:

Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has lost his battle against three national media outlets. Lawyers representing Arpaio filed a $300 million lawsuit against CNN, the HuffPost and Rolling Stone in December, claiming the outlets had published false information about the former sheriff.

Thursday, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. dismissed the defamation lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth said in his opinion Thursday that Arpaio failed to prove malice. Arpaio’s lawyer, Larry Klayman, stated in a news release that they plan to amend and try to move forward with the lawsuit.