Update: Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke reportedly will remain on the job in Milwaukee County. Earlier this spring, he announced that he would join the Trump administration as an assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security.
Clarke had not been specific about the timing, but indicated that he would begin work in his new post in June.
However, as the weeks went on without further word from Clarke -- and with no official announcement from Washington, D.C. -- some observers began to wonder whether he indeed was leaving Wisconsin.
In the interim, Clarke received unwanted attention related to the death of an inmate at the Milwaukee County Jail. An inquest jury recommended charges against Clarke's staff in the death.
In addition, Clarke made headlines after a CNN report was released, which alleged he plagiarized others' work in portions of his master's thesis -- a charge Clarke refutes.
Now, the Washington Post has reported that Clarke has withdrawn from consideration for the Trump administration post. The article quotes an adviser to Clarke as saying the sheriff believes he can better serve the president's agenda in his current role.
Update, May 22:
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, who says the Dept. of Homeland Security plans to appoint him as an assistant secretary, is blasting reporter Andrew Kaczynski who claims Clarke plagiarized sections of his master's thesis on homeland security.
The report that CNN carried over the weekend cites close to 50 instances in Clarke's 2013 thesis where it seems he failed to put quotation marks around statements he took almost verbatim from other sources. The sheriff, on Twitter, called Kaczynski a political hack who has accused others of plagiarism, and Clarke insisted the reporter and CNN have a political agenda.
I just sayin'. This "hired gun" Kaczynski did the same with me". Do I need to put that in quotation marks? https://t.co/aLxC3OCevQ
— David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) May 21, 2017
The Naval Postgraduate School in California where Clarke submitted his thesis, removed it from its website late Saturday.
Original story, May 17:
Sheriff David Clarke announced on Wednesday that he will leave Milwaukee to take a job with the Trump administration, as an assistant secretary with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Clarke mentioned the appointment during an interview on WISN Radio saying he was looking forward to joining the Trump administration. The appointment would not require Senate confirmation.
For years, Clarke has been a favorite of conservative media and campaigned for President Trump during the 2016 election. It had been rumored that Clarke was in the running for several appointments within the new administration.
Clarke would be leaving the Sheriff’s Department on the heels of an inquest jury recommending that criminal charges be filed in the case of a man in the county jail who died of dehydration after staff had turned off his water for seven days.
Following Clarke's announcement on Wednesday, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele issued a statement reading, "I’ve said repeatedly that Milwaukee deserves better than Sheriff Clarke. America does too."
Abele says he is excited about the prospect of working with a new sheriff who might find evidence-based solutions to improve public safety and reduce the number of people in jail. "The last thing America needs," according to Abele, "is another loud voice angrily and unproductively telling you who to blame and who not to trust."
The group Voces de la Frontera which has been challenging Clarke for his tough stance against unauthorized immigrants also reacted to his planned departure as sheriff. Voces' statement reads: "Clarke is unfit for any office and should face criminal charges for the deaths and abuses at the jail. Trump's appointment of Clarke shows this administration's disregard for human rights. Scott Walker must appoint a sheriff who will withdraw from 287g, end collaboration with Trump's campaign of mass deportation and terror against immigrant families, and support reforms to prevent deaths and abuses at the Milwaukee County Jail."
If he remained Sheriff, Clarke would face re-election in 2018. One person mounting a campaign is Earnell Lucas, a former captain with the Milwaukee Police Dept. and vice president of security with Major League Baseball.
Lucas released a statement on Wednesday saying he will submit his name to Governor Walker to be considered as an appointee for the position. Lucas says he still plans to run for a full-term in 2018.
