Sheriff Arpaio’s Prosecutor: Disbarred For Abuse Of Power

By Jonathan Higuera, Voxxi

Last week’s extraordinary decision to disbar former Maricopa County AttorneyAndrew Thomasand his puppet henchwoman Lisa Aubuchon from practicing law in Arizona should leave Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio feeling a little less smug in his belief that the voters of Maricopa County will once again come to his rescue in the November election.

This is the second time in less than five months that the seemingly omnipotent Arpaio has witnessed one of his staunchest allies called out and kicked out for their no-holds-barred — and apparently who needs evidence — approach to lawmaking and administering the law.

Last November, Russell Pearce, the state’s House Speaker and architect of the odious SB 1070 immigration law, was booted out of his position in a historic recall election. Until then, no sitting house speaker of any state legislature in the country had ever lost a recall election.

Now Thomas’ come-uppance for his ruthless abuse of power as county attorney could mean he’ll have to practice as a paralegal if he wants to work in his chosen profession in Arizona. The baseless accusations he launched against political opponents were described by the three-member disciplinary panel appointed by the Arizona Supreme Court as “stunning on every front.”

Their report describes the hurt inflicted from these public investigations: “Sadly, their own individual basic mistrust of others, when combined together, became multiplied by dishonesty, an abuse of power and a remarkable willingness to spend the public’s money for their cause célèbre. The aggravating factors devastate the mitigating factors. We find they knew they had no evidence and prosecuted people anyway. There was no ‘noble cause.’ There was only self–interest. Theharm done to the public, individuals, and the profession was stunning on every front.”

Whether Arpaio, the master of public grandstanding for political gain, will see this as a sign that he is in danger of being down to his final act as “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” or just another bump in the road on his way to his fifth term remains to be seen.

Certainly the traits displayed by the protagonists in the Thomas case can be applied to him. His arrogance was on full display in Renato Avalos’ documentary “SB 1070: The Faces,” which captures the sequence of events leading up to passage of the law and consequences for many in the aftermath of its passage. It also highlights Arpaio’s notorious sweeps and roundups carried out mainly in Latino neighborhoods.

Arpaio’s pat answers about his campaign to rid the county of undocumented immigrants are cloaked in his stated objective to carry out the law — laws created mainly by the likes of formerHouse Speaker Pearce and investigations sanctioned by Thomas’ office.

What the documentary doesn’t show also is telling: Arpaio’s callous mistreatment of prisoners that has led to millions of taxpayer dollars being used for settlements with victims and families of victims; the millions of dollars being spent to fend off lawsuits, or, in some instances, settle cases for merit-less probes. It’s costing taxpayers big money and could be the final straw for many voters weary of his manipulative ways.

But in conservative Maricopa County, stinging rebukes from the U.S. Department of Justice and groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International is seen as a badge of honor. Nobody knows this better than Arpaio, who won his last election with 55 percent of the vote.

Whether the next election will have a different result can really be framed as a matter of life and death for those unfortunate few who end up in Arpaio’s custody.

Read more of Jonathan Higuera’s articles on Voxxi.