Profiling is not illegal and most forms of it are OK for law enforcement to use, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said Monday.
King, who is no stranger to speaking his mind about racially charged issues, appeared on CNN and was asked about President Donald Trump's pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
"There is no law against profiling," King told CNN's Chris Cuomo.
"I don't agree that profiling is wrong. In fact, if you would take profiling away from the tools of law enforcement, you couldn't describe a criminal in any way whatsoever."
King said there are several types of profiling, not just racial profiling. Arpaio was convicted of contempt of court last month stemming from his department's profiling practices.
"There's a difference between racial profiling and broader profiling with all of the descriptions that are there," King said.
"And I say [racial profiling is] wrong, too, and the Justice Department has issued a directive that says you shall not racially profile if that's the only component."
Arpaio spoke with Newsmax TV on Monday and said he has no plans to run for office despite calls for him to do so.
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