Joe Arpaio says he would 'do anything' for Trump if offered job

Sheriff Joe is ready for the White House.

Former Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio, fresh off a presidential pardon, said Sunday he would likely "do anything" for President Trump and is willing to take a job in his administration.

"It's tough to turn down a President of the United States when they need you," Arpaio told The Wall Street Journal in some of his first remarks since his pardon.

"I may not turn down this President because I'd probably do anything for him."

Arpaio, 85, said he wasn't looking for a job with the Trump administration but would accept an offer it it came.

The lawless lawman hailed Trump as a President who could go down in history as one of the "greatest" — and he said Republicans have to fall in line.

"They're trying to go after the president," Arpaio said.

"He's a great guy and I'm with him and will always be with him. I'm sad what they're doing to him. It's sad."

Trump has weathered fierce criticism from Republicans and Democrats — including both of Arizona's GOP Senators — for pardoning Arpaio, an ally with a dark history of racism and abuse.

Arpaio was set to serve up to six months in jail for violating a court order to stop the discriminatory policing his office inflicted on Latinos in Maricopa County.

Multiple civil rights lawsuits have accused Arpaio of targeting Latinos and subjecting inmates to violence and humiliation that violated their constitutional rights. Arpaia once boasted about how he considered his harsh "Tent City" jail to be a "concentration camp."

Arpaio bonded with Trump over their hard-line opposition to illegal immigrants. Both of them also promoted the false "birther" conspiracy theory about former President Barack Obama being born outside of the United States.

Arpaio last year lost the sheriff's election to Democratic candidate Paul Penzone. Arpaio's next plans remain unknown and members of the Trump administration have said little about the pardon.

Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert on Sunday waved off all criticism about Trump's decision and blamed the media for giving it "disproportionate coverage."

"I'm pretty certain...that this is not something that is going to threaten our constitutional order," Bossert said on ABC News' "This Week."

Trump's critics have disagreed, with some saying the pardon is one of Trump's biggest blows to America's justice system.

Arizona Sen. John McCain said Trump's pardon "undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law."

Trump flouted pardoning conventions when he granted Arpaio freedom.

U.S. Justice Department guidelines recommend pardons be earned by demonstrating "good conduct for a substantial period of time after conviction and service of sentence." It also says petitioners must wait at least five years after conviction or release before requesting a pardon.

Arpaio's clemency came only weeks after his conviction, and less than two months before he was supposed to be sentenced.

Since walking free, the rogue sheriff has not acknowledged any wrongdoing.