Sheriff Joe's Response to the DOJ Lawsuit Against Him - Patriotic Resistance

Sheriff Joe's Response to the DOJ Lawsuit Against Him - Patriotic Resistance

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
100 West Washington, Suite 1900
Phoenix, AZ 85003
Joe Arpaio
Sheriff
Ph: 602-876-1801
Fax: 602-251-3877
Switchboard: 602-876-1000
www.mcso.org

The following is an official statement by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio regarding today's lawsuit filed against his office by the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, D.C. for alleged refusal to turn over documents. It is followed by another statement from his Washington, D.C. attorney, Bob Driscoll.

"The Obama administration has filed three lawsuits against Arizona in the last few
weeks ... one against a college district, one against the state of Arizona and now one
against my office. Each lawsuit centers on something to do with alleged racial
discrimination.
These actions make it abundantly clear that Arizona, including this Sheriff, IS
Washington's new whipping boy. Now it's time to take the gloves off.
As for today's lawsuit against my office: These people in Washington met with my
attorneys only a few days ago. And in that meeting, Washington got our
cooperation; they admitted they already have thousands of pages of the requested
documents; and they were given access to interview my staff and get into my jails.
They smiled in our faces and then stabbed us in the back with this lawsuit. The
Obama administration intended to sue us all along, no matter what we did to try to
avert it.
Washington isn't playing fair and it's time Americans everywhere wake up and see
this administration for what it really is. Calculating, underhanded at times and
certainly not looking out for the best interests of the legal citizens residing in this
country. "

MORE

STATEMENT OF ROBERT N. DRISCOLL,
COUNSEL TO SHERIFF JOSEPH ARPAIO AND THE MARICOPA
COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

"Today's lawsuit by the Department of Justice is part of a deliberate media
strategy to "get tough" on Sheriff Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
and undermine immigration enforcement by a local Sheriff who is trying
desperately to make up for this Administration's own indifference to the topic.
The DOJ suit speaks loudly by what it does not say. It does not allege that Sheriff
Arpaio or the MCSO have discriminated against anyone because the DOJ, after 18
months of soliciting allegations against Sheriff Arpaio, has come up empty. Even
the purported basis for the suit, which alleges a lack of "cooperation," is a sham.
In fact, after meeting with the DOJ last week, just last Friday, on behalf of MCSO,
I informed the DOJ that MCSO would cooperate with all reasonable document
requests and would schedule tours of MCSO facilities and interviews with senior
MCSO command staff. We were awaiting a response from DOJ, and this lawsuit
is apparently it. Clearly DOJ is more interested filing its third lawsuit in as many
weeks against Arizona defendants than in looking into the allegations that
purportedly gave rise to its investigation. This lawsuit is nothing more than an
attempt to obscure the fact that DOJ still has no case. Today's suit over documents
does not change that."
CONTACT: ROBERT N. DRISCOLL (202) 239-3470





http://www.mcso.org/include/pr_pdf/Obama%20Lawsuit.pdf