President Trump: I pardoned Arpaio during hurricane because I thought TV ratings would be higher

President Donald Trump said he announced his pardon of former Maricopa County (AZ) Sheriff Joe Arpaio as Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas because he “assumed the ratings would be far higher.” “In the middle of a hurricane, even though it was a Friday evening, I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they would be normally,” President Trump said during a press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. “You know, the hurricane was just starting.” Democratic lawmakers blasted President Trump on Aug 25 for announcing his pardon of Arpaio as Harvey made landfall, with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) accusing President Trump of “using the cover of the storm” to issue the pardon.