In a surprising move, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has handed in his resignation this afternoon. It’s been confirmed by the Milwaukee County Clerk, but so far, there’s been no word on why he made this sudden move, MediaITE reports.
What Does Clarke Have Up His Sleeve?
According to reporter Steve Chamraz:
:: BREAKING NOW: Milwaukee County Clerk confirms @MCSOSheriff @SheriffClarke David Clarke has resigned. Letter received at 3:17pm. pic.twitter.com/IDqUUp5atm
— Steve Chamraz (@TMJ4Steve) August 31, 2017
And CNN’s Laura Jarrett managed to obtain a copy of Clarke’s resignation letter:
Sheriff Clarke resignation letter pic.twitter.com/l6IDbkaLPy
— Laura Jarrett (@LauraAJarrett) August 31, 2017
In May, the controversial sheriff announced that he’d accepted a position with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). But DHS wouldn’t confirm if he’d been offered the position.
The Trump-supporting lawman took his name out of consideration after a plagiarism scandal erupted when CNN found that reportedly neglected to attribute 47 sources for the thesis he wrote for the Naval Postgraduate School.
It’s not clear what he’ll be doing now that he’s resigned, but he got a Twitter pat on the back from President Donald J. Trump regarding a recent book he’d written.
A great book by a great guy, highly recommended! https://t.co/3jbDDN8YmJ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017
Earlier this month, Clarke was named in a lawsuit filed by the family of Terrill Thomas, an inmate, who died from dehydration in one of Clarke’s jails in 2016, The Hill reports. In the suit, Thomas’s family alleges Clarke and other employees subjected him to:
“…Unconscionable pain and suffering and causing his death.”
The suit reads, in part:
“The change in Mr. Thomas’ condition was obvious to every jail employee who looked into his cell, including multiple defendants. However, not a single one bothered to call for help until it was too late to save Mr. Thomas’ life.”
Clarke, a frequent guest on Fox News, is known for his divisive rhetoric, having at one point fired off a tweet that suggested physical action was needed to combat protesters:
The left isn't protesting . It's resistance to our constitutionally elected POTUS. It's showdown time. Pushback time. Are you ready? I am. pic.twitter.com/iNoWZhTIb3
— David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) January 30, 2017
And in May, polls reported that Clarke stood a poor chance of being reelected as sheriff because he’d become hugely unpopular with Milwaukee County voters.
Clarke is unpredictable, but I’m betting these voters are glad to see him go.
Featured image by Rshill7 via YouTube video.