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Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio To Be 'Guest Of Honor' At SoCal Trump Golf Club Fundraiser
Arpaio at Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XXII in Phoenix, Arizona in 2016. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for Celebrity Fight Night)
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Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was pardoned by Donald Trump in August after being convicted of criminal contempt for his treatment of suspected undocumented immigrants, will appear at a Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes on Thursday to support the congressional campaign of South Bay Republican Omar Navarro, who is running against California Democrat Maxine Waters.
A flier for the event lists Arpaio, who was responsible for the infamous Tent City outdoor jail he himself once referred to as a "concentration camp," as the guest of honor at Navarro's fundraiser. Other luminaries scheduled to appear at the Thursday event include faux-millennial comedian Dan Nainan and Anna Khait from Survivor: Kaôh Rōng, because disgraced former sheriffs, 55-year-old "millennials" and reality TV contestants are the bastions of any successful political event.
Only $125 to see millennial comedian Dan Nainan open for Joe Arpaio tomorrow in LA pic.twitter.com/gIZDBTvM7J
— Justin Decker (@JustinDecker) October 19, 2017
A spokesperson for the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes confirmed to LAist that Arpaio is scheduled to appear at Navarro's fundraiser on Thursday night. President Trump spoke on Arpaio's behalf after pardoning the former sheriff in August, stating that Arpaio had "done a great job for the people of Arizona" and had been "treated unbelievably unfairly." For his part, Arpaio took to Twitter last Monday to RSVP publicly to the Trump Organization-hosted event:
Support for LAist comes from
Im guest speaker this Thurs. @TrumpGolfLA for @RealOmarNavarro who is running against Maxine Waters. See you there.
— Sheriff Joe Arpaio (@RealSheriffJoe) October 17, 2017
A general pass to the fundraiser costs $125, but a $250 "VIP Pass," will win you access to a private party with the speakers, an exclusive show from Nainan and singer Joy Villa, and—perhaps most thrillingly of all—hors d'oeuvres.
Navarro is challenging Maxine Waters in the 2018 race to represent California's 43rd District. This is his second long shot bid to unseat Waters; he ran against and lost to her in 2016. LAist reached out to Rep. Waters' office for comment on Arpaio endorsing her opponent, but did not immediately hear back. Navarro has been active in the anti-sanctuary city movement, and has been a member of anti-immigration groups that specifically targeted Cudahy and other small cities in Southeast L.A. County.
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