"Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now eighty-five years old, and after more than fifty years of admirable service to our Nation, he is worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon," the White House said in a statement. Trump lauded Arpaio for his "life’s work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration."

Arpaio, one of Trump’s earliest supporters, was convicted of federal misdemeanor criminal contempt this year after a judge found he had defied a court order to stop targeting suspected undocumented immigrants. By pardoning Arpaio, Trump threatened to further inflame national tensions over race and immigration while also alienating some of the Republicans who have touted the importance of the rule of law.

Arpaio, who served for 24 years as the sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, was defeated in last year’s election.

"I have to thank the president of the United States," Arpaio said in a telephone interview. "I feel vindicated."

Read more: How Trump’s pardon of Arpaio will shatter norms

House Speaker Paul Ryan, a fellow Republican, was among those taking issue with Trump’s decision.

“Law enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States,” according to an email from Ryan’s office Saturday. “We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon.”

Trump didn’t vet the pardon through the Justice Department, according to an official with knowledge of the decision who asked not to be identified. That circumvented the traditional political process for issuing pardons.

Arizona Senator John McCain, A Republican who’s clashed with Trump, said that while Trump may have the authority to pardon Arpaio, "doing so at this time undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law as Mr. Arpaio has shown no remorse for his actions.”

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