In response to Vice President Mike Pence’s statements lauding disgraced former Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s presence at yesterday’s event touting Trump’s tax scam, DNC spokesperson Vedant Patel released the following statement:

“We need to look no further than Vice President Mike Pence’s open embrace of disgraced former Sheriff Joe Arpaio to understand where the policies and practices that Arpaio implemented rank in a Trump-Pence administration. Arpaio spent his entire career spewing racist hatred against immigrants and tearing families apart, instilling fear in the communities unlucky enough to fall under his jurisdiction. Arpaio is one of the nation’s most notorious agents of racism and bigotry and certainly is not qualified to serve in the U.S. Senate, where he would be in lockstep with Donald Trump’s harmful agenda. The Trump-Pence administration should focus on offering real solutions to America’s families, not touting a tax scam that will harm working families, and certainly not glorifying convicted felon Arpaio, whose harmful policies are fueled by hateful rhetoric.”