Trump also announced his decision on Twitter, declaring that Arpaio is an "American patriot" who had "kept Arizona safe." He defended the pardon by comparing it to "late-term pardons issued under the last two Democratic presidents". According to The Hill, "many Republicans in Arizona" had pushed Trump to pardon Arpaio, "arguing that he had been railroaded by the Justice Department under former President Obama." Representative Andy Biggs said Arpaio's conviction was "the culmination of a political witch hunt by the Obama administration to sideline and destroy a formidable opponent."
