Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who’s running for U.S. Senate in Arizona following his pardon by President Donald Trump, says he can’t say if late senator and Vietnam War legend John McCain is a hero.
But, adds Arpaio, Trump is a hero for sure.
In an interview Tuesday with MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt, Arpaio was asked if considered McCain, a war hero who died over the weekend following a long battle with brain cancer, to be a patriot.
"Yes," Arpaio responded.
"A hero?" Hunt followed up.
"That’s hard for me to answer. Because I never had a hero in my life until several months ago when I woke up after 75 years, and I found my hero," Arpaio answered.
"You know who that person is? Donald Trump."
He served as the 36th Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona for 24 years, from 1993 to 2017.
Arpaio, 86, served as sheriff of Maricopa County from 1993 to 2017, when he was convicted of criminal contempt of court for refusing to stop detaining suspected illegal immigrants. He was later pardoned by Trump.
In a Tuesday primary race, Arpaio is facing two-term Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) and former state senator Kelli Ward in the race to replace retiring Sen. Jeff Flake.
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