Sheriff David Clarke, the controversial Milwaukee County lawman with strong ties to Donald Trump, is reportedly taking a position with a Trump-aligned super PAC, sources are reporting.
Report: Ex-@SheriffClarke to go to work for Trump PAC https://t.co/zlzFCQNFZf via @journalsentinel
— Daniel Bice (@DanielBice) September 5, 2017
Clarke abruptly resigned from his position as sheriff last week, citing no reason as to why in his resignation letter. Politico reported that sources indicated Clarke would take a position directly in the Trump administration, though people close to Clarke largely disputed that information at the time.
Clarke was an early supporter of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, and it was widely believed that he would be tapped by the president to take a position in his administration. Clarked announced earlier this summer that he would indeed be taking a Department of Homeland Security position, but the Trump administration never confirmed that announcement, which Clarke rescinded shortly after.
It’s unclear which super PAC or what role Clarke will play at this time.
Clarke is a controversial figure in Wisconsin, known for his supposedly no-nonsense character and cowboy hat. He’s frequently featured on FOX News as a guest commentator, often touting pro-Trump ideals and resorting to name-calling his opponents. He calls Black Lives Matter “Black Lies Matter,” and he refuses to call Hillary Clinton by name, addressing her as “Mrs. Bill Clinton” whenever possible.
Clarke also oversaw the county jail in Milwaukee, where four individuals died in his cells under unusual and gut-wrenching circumstances. One person died of dehydration after seven days without access to water. Another occupant wasn’t even an inmate — a woman in the jail gave birth to an infant, who died shortly after, due in part to a failure by jail staff to provide proper medical attention.
Clarke has also harassed his dissenters, including ordering his deputies to follow a man who simply shook his head at the sheriff. They detained him, and questioned him for hours after the allegedly insulting head shake.
For an example of Clarke’s controversial rhetorical style, watch this video of his RNC speech:
Featured image via Gage Skidmore/Flickr, CC By-SA 2.0
