Random Musings: Arpaio Testifies At Thomas' Ethics Hearing

Most of the time, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio likes to portray himself as "America's Toughest Sheriff" or something similarly grandiose and self-serving.

However, when he testified before the panel investigating former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, he portrayed himself as something else.

I'm just trying to figure who or what he was playing.

From the Arizona Republic, written by JJ Hensley -

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio does not recall many of the details related to the investigations that have threatened the careers of former County Attorney Andrew Thomas and one of his top prosecutors.

{snip}

"I don't recall" was Arpaio's most common answer when attorneys pressed him for details.

Upon reading the srory and watching the video (embedded in the Republic story), I had to sit back and figure out what role Arpaio was playing on Tuesday.

Was it -

Ronald Reagan? The former president may have been best known for evading questions about his involvement in the Iran/Contra scandal with "I don't recall". However, while Reagan's politics were almost as abominable as Arpaio's (in a different way, however), I can say one positive thing about the man -

He could deliver a punch line.

And Arpaio doesn't have a funny bone in his body.

pic courtesy IMDB

Alberto Gonzales? The former US Attorney General is famous for his use of "I don't recall" to protect himself (and others) from an investigation into the firing of US attorneys who refused to trump up cases against prominent Democrats and other critics of his former bosses, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Karl Rove.

Hmmm...probably not. Even though Gonzales was a fan of torture and an enemy of civil rights, I can't see Arpaio ever acting like someone named "Gonzales."