President Donald Trump's Homeland Security adviser said there's been "disproportionate coverage" of ex-Sheriff Joe Arpaio's presidential pardon, asserting that amid Hurricane Harvey's devastation, there's "not too many people who care about this one guy now."
In an interview on ABC News' "This Week," Tom Bossert called the pardon "straightforward."
"I think there is disproportionate coverage right now as I and [Texas] Governor [Greg] Abbott focus on the people in the Houston area," he said. "I think the Arpaio pardon is straightforward. Just about every president has controversial pardons. It's not fair to criticize him about not caring about the rule of law."
"I'm focused on not the only 4.6 million people in the Houston area, but the millions of people around the country, trying to bring together outside of these divisive political questions, their effects and their prayers to help those people who are in need," he added.
"My guess is not too many people care about this one guy right now."
Bossert said Trump's planned visit to Texas won't divert resources of those responding to the hurricane aftermath. The aide said there was $3 billion available in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to help in the disaster.
"We'll go where we can without getting in the way of the operators. We certainly wouldn't go in a place where we would prevent life-saving activities from taking place," Bossert said. "The president wants to go to show his support. He doesn't want to go to get in the way and he's been very clear about that."
President Trump tweeted Sunday he'd visit Texas "soon" to inspect the damage caused by the weather system.
Also, Bossert also deflected criticism of Trump's remarks regarding the violence at a white supremacy rally in Charlottesville that there were "fine people" on both sides of the gathering — but was definitive himself.
"I don't think anybody chanting those things is a very fine person. Period," he said of the Nazi supporters at the rally.