{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cohen.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cohen-reacts-president-trump-s-pardon-joe-arpaio", "Congressman Cohen Reacts to President Trumps Pardon of Joe Arpaio", "2017-08-26", "2017", "2017-08", "Democrat", "House", "TN", "Steve Cohen", "C001068", "cohen.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Congressman Cohen Reacts to President Trump\u2019s Pardon of Joe Arpaio  \n\t\u00a0\n[WASHINGTON, D.C.] \u2013 Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee\u2019s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Steve Cohen (TN-09) today issued the following reaction to President Trump\u2019s pardon of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.\n\u201cPresident Trump's pardoning of Joe Arpaio isn't just bad, it's dangerous. The President continues to show a callous disregard for the independence of our federal judiciary,\u201d said Congressman Cohen. \u00a0\u201cEven worse, he did so in defense of a man who had been criminally convicted of failing to follow a court order in connection with a lawsuit involving racial profiling. \u00a0This was not only a terrible decision, but if reports are accurate that he did not consult the Department of Justice, it was also done incredibly irresponsibly. Presidents have a duty to consult professionals and experts before taking action. \u00a0Authoritarianism always starts with attacks on the press and the judiciary.\u00a0 We must guard against these kind of attacks against democracy.\u00a0 The rule of law is one of our basic precepts. \u00a0We fought a revolution to place the law above men.\u00a0 By pardoning the former sheriff, the President has once again abused his authority and divided our nation.\u00a0 I will be reviewing the President\u2019s action with my Judiciary Committee colleagues to determine how best to address it.\u201d  \n\t\u00a0\n\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cohen.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cohen-reacts-president-trump-s-pardon-joe-arpaio"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.600006129592657, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}