Sheriff Joe to Eric Holder: ‘Prove it!’
Arpaio willing to go to federal court to vindicate his department
Published: 1 hour ago by Jerome R. Corsi

Maverick Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio is challenging the Obama administration’s Department of Justice to present evidence to back its charge that his office is discriminating against Hispanics.

“Prove it,” Arpaio said in remarks directed at Holder in an interview with WND.

“If Eric Holder has evidence that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has engaged in systematic violations of the civil rights of Hispanics, then show me the evidence,” Arpaio said.

Arpaio contends that the 22-page complaint the Department of Justice released Dec. 15 against his office was nothing more than anecdotal and didn’t prove there are systematic sheriff’s department policies aimed at depriving Hispanics in Maricopa County of their civil rights.

Nor was Arpaio concerned that the DOJ might take him and his sheriff’s department to federal court.

“If the Justice Department wants to take me to court, I’m ready,” Arpaio said.

Arpaio was responding to a statement emailed today to WND in which the DOJ threatened to go to court immediately rather than show Arpaio’s office and the U.S. public the evidence it claims to have.

“If MCSO wants to debate the facts instead of fixing the problems stated in our findings, we will do so by way of litigation,” DOJ said in the statement.

The statement implied the DOJ already has rejected an offer of cooperation made yesterday by attorneys representing MCSO in a cover letter to the MCSO 38-page response to the DOJ complaint.

In the cover letter, Arpaio attorney Joseph J. Popolizio made it clear that the sheriff was willing to cooperate with Holder and the DOJ, but only if the DOJ revealed to the MCSO and the public its proof.

“Sheriff Joseph M. Arpaio and the MCSO are certainly interested in constructive dialogue, but constructive dialogue can only occur if the DOJ provides the facts and information on which it bases its findings,” Popolizio wrote.

Nothing more than a political attack?

Arpaio also took exception to the DOJ assertion that the federal investigation against his office began under the Bush administration.

“There may have been complaints filed with the Justice Department under the Bush administration,” Arpaio conceded, “but we were first notified in March 2009 – in the Obama administration’s first 100 days – that the Department of Justice had begun a formal investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.”

Arpaio pointed out that after three years of cooperating with the Justice Department investigation, his office was given only one-hour’s advance notice that the report was going to be released.

On the morning of Dec. 15, the Justice Department called officials of the Sheriff’s office to a 9 a.m. meeting, refusing to disclose in advance the purpose of the meeting.

One hour later, at 10 a.m. local time, Perez held a press conference in Phoenix, making the Arpaio report public.

DOJ officials turned away MCSO representatives from attending the press conference, claiming the room was too full to permit additional attendees.

Arpaio questioned the timing of the press conference, noting that Dec. 15 was one day after the first anniversary of the gun battle near the Arizona border in which Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry was gunned down by illegal immigrants armed with weapons supplied by the Justice Department in the now controversial “Fast and Furious” gun-walking operation that has brought Holder under considerable political pressure to resign.

Clearly, winning the Latino vote is a key presidential election strategy for the Democratic Party in 2012.

On Sept. 28, Obama gave a White House interview to three Latino journalists in which he singled out Arpaio by name and declared Maricopa County should not be taken as the “model” for U.S. immigration laws.

Some observers also note the timing. The Obama administration chose to make public allegations resulting from a three-year DOJ investigation after Arpaio authorized a MCSO Cold Case Posse to investigate Obama’s birth certificate and his eligibility to be president under Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution.

Moreover, the DOJ in delivering the Dec. 15 complaint indicated Arpaio’s office would have only two months to comply – timing coincident with the scheduled February 2012 release of the Cold Case Posse’s investigation.

This is Obama testing the fence. And worst is the waste of time it is when the DOJ has MUCH bigger things to concern itself with right now. Obama's administration is nothing more than a huge flaccid erection viagra cannot help. I so hope we don't get 4 more years of this Oreo cookie! No, correction skunk! No that is an embarrassment to skunks world wide. All things aside notice how fuel prices are creeping up to $4.00 a gallon again??? Them damn Bushes!

P.S. Arpio is a HERO to me! I hope the middle finger he thrusts in the DOJ's face eventually makes headlines. The DOJ has NO credible proof and are going to hire spin meisters more than likely. Got to love the corruption of our system!

I guess it will be a finger at the judges too since they have in various places on several occasions ruled against him,,having nothing to do with the DOJ or OBAMA

U.S. District Court Judge Neil V. Wake ruled in 2008, and again in 2010, that the Maricopa County jails violated the constitutional rights of inmates in medical and other care related issues


In 2008 a federal grand jury began an inquiry of Arpaio for abuse of power, in connection with an FBI investigation.[

In early 2010, Arpaio and Thomas sought to have a grand jury indict a number of Maricopa County Judges, Maricopa County Supervisors, and employees of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. The grand jury, in an unusual rebuke, ordered the investigation ended.

An analysis by the Maricopa County Office of Management and Budget, completed in September, 2010, found Arpaio has misspent almost $80 million in taxpayer dollars over the previous 5 years



..seems alot of people for alot of years have felt old Joe might be less of a hero and more of a criminal,,,,

IN a nation run by criminals it is hard to tel what the hell is right or wrong but at least old Joe is trying to do the right thing. He just doesn't have the pull of the fed to juggle facts!

one never knows....

When the Republican candidate beats Obama in November they better award Sheriff Joe the Presidential Medal of Freedom!

He is the true difinition of a hero. If you look up the word hero in the dictionary you will se a picture of Sheriff Joe right next to it. He is also a military veteran AND a former Federal Agent. In my opinion he knows the laws better then holder since he was enforcing them before Holder was even a thought in his parents minds/

knowing laws, and following them, arent the same thing though


and are you suggesting being in the 'military' makes one any more expert on civilian laws than someone not in the military?

The arrogance of this administration is astounding.