If I understand correctly, the principle followed by Sheriff Arpaio went something like this: Illegal aliens are a problem. Many illegal aliens look Hispanic. Therefore, if you see somebody who looks Hispanic, it is legitimate to throw them in prison as a suspected illegal immigrant and torment them there.
But from there it gets even more interesting. After the Trump Justice department rules that your policy is actually criminal and convicts you of discrimination against Hispanic Americans, Trump himself pardons you and calls you a patriot.
I’m trying to wrap my head around this, and look for a general principle. As I understand it, you can apply the Arpaio principle in various ways. For example: The Mafia is a problem. Many Mafiosi look Italian. Therefore, if you see somebody who looks Italian, it is legitimate to throw them in prison as a suspected Mafioso and torment them there. Then, after you are convicted of discrimination against Italian Americans, Trump will pardon you and call you a patriot.
Once you understand the principle, you realize it can apply to many situations. For example: Nazi genocide was a problem. Donald Trump is of German ancestry. Therefore, it is legitimate to throw Donald Trump in prison as a suspected murderous Nazi and torment him there. Then, after you are convicted of discrimination against German Americans, Trump will pardon you and call you a patriot.
But this is the part that confuses me. If you’ve already safely locked Donald Trump away in prison, because (according the the Arpaio principle) he might as well be a convicted Nazi murderer, then how can he pardon you?
Is this what Donald Trump meant when he explained that he could pardon anyone, even himself?