Controversial Sheriff David Clarke was denied yet another Trump administration job —and he has the president’s chief of staff John Kelly to thank.
The former Milwaukee County lawman had been in consideration for a White House post over the past seven weeks. But that door is now irrevocably shut for him, so on Tuesday, Clarke announced he will serve as a spokesman and “senior advisor” for the pro-Trump America First Action SuperPAC, The Daily Beast reports.
But this is not the first time that Clarke has been denied a job in the Trump administration. Earlier this year, then DHS Secretary John Kelly personally informed Clarke that an appointment to that department would not happen—in part due to the scandal surrounding the treatment of inmates in Clarke’s jail, and the ensuing negative media attention.
Clarke oversaw repulsive conditions in the county’s jail that have led to lawsuits against the former sheriff. He was sued by the family of a man who died of dehydration in his jail after being deprived of water for seven days—allegedly with Clarke’s full knowledge and approval. He is also facing a lawsuit from a woman whose unborn baby died while she was in Clarke’s custody due to negligent medical practices. She was eight months and three weeks pregnant at the time, according to The Beast.
Clarke is part of a group of law enforcement officers that dub themselves the “constitutional sheriffs movement.” That group also includes former Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff Joe Arpaio, whom Trump pardoned last week after he was convicted of criminal contempt for knowingly violating a judicial order.
Well, it turns out that allowing people to die in jail, endorsing mob vigilante justice, and comparing Black Lives Matter to ISIS is a bridge too far, even for the trump administration.
