White House says Trump will not pardon former Sheriff Arpaio during Arizona trip

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Sheriff Joe Arpaio (L) of Maricopa County, Arizona listens as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to the press prior to a rally on January 26, 2016 in Marshalltown, Iowa.

President Donald Trump will not issue a pardon on Tuesday for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio during his trip to Arizona, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters.

Trump had held out the possibility of a pardon for Arpaio, a former sheriff of Maricopa County in Phoenix and an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration.

Arpaio, 85, was found guilty last month of criminal contempt for violating the terms of a 2011 court order in a racial profiling case. He lost a re-election bid last year.

Trump was to address a rally in Phoenix on Tuesday night.

“There will be no discussion of that today at any point and no action will be taken on that front at any point today,” Sanders told reporters traveling with Trump on Air Force One.