Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio wants to bar prosecutors from using his own campaign statements in his upcoming contempt of court trial.
The former sheriff’s lawyers are asking the court to bar comments that he made about immigration during his last three campaigns.
They say it would be prejudicial to mention the former sheriff’s statements at the April 25 trial.
Arpaio, who was defeated in November, faces the charge for disobeying a court order in a racial profiling case to stop his immigration patrols.
In an earlier ruling, the federal judge overseeing the case said that Arpaio ignored the order because he believed continuing his immigration enforcement efforts would help his 2012 campaign.
He acknowledged prolonging the patrols, but the former sheriff insists he did so unintentionally.
