Breitbart: Ryan ‘throws in with leftists’ with criticism of Arpaio pardon

Breitbart News is taking aim at Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), linking him to his Democratic counterparts after he condemned President Trump’s pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio. 

“Ryan’s move to throw in against the president’s decision comes along with several Democrats, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi among them, leveling similar criticisms,” the conservative news outlet’s Washington political editor, Matthew Boyle, wrote on Saturday. 

Boyle’s article was published just after Ryan broke with the president on pardoning Arpaio, who had been convicted of criminal contempt after he refused to follow a judge’s order to stop racially profiling Latinos. 

{mosads}”The Speaker does not agree with the decision,” Ryan’s spokesman, Doug Andres, told The Wall Street Journal.

“Law-enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States. We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon,” he continued. 

Trump’s decision to pardon Arpaio, who has been tough on immigration, is likely to play well with his base. 

This is not the first time Breitbart, which appeals to the president’s populist base, has tied Ryan to Democrats. 

It published a report during the campaign titled “He’s with her: Inside Paul Ryan’s months-long campaign to elect Hillary Clinton president.”

The news organization has not embraced Trump in recent days, however. 

A senior Breitbart employee said that it is ready to help Ryan impeach Trump if he doesn’t follow through on his campaign promises, according to Vanity Fair.

Those comments came in the wake of Stephen Bannon’s departure from the White House. Bannon returned to lead Breitbart after serving as Trump’s chief strategist.