AZ Sheriff Babeu appears on a white nationalist program, invites listeners to join his “posse”

On July 10, Arizona Republican Sheriff and frequent Fox News guest Paul Babeu appeared on the openly “pro-white” Political Cesspool radio program to defend the Arizona immigration law and criticize President Obama for undermining the “rule of law and intentionally undermining law enforcement.” During the program, Babeu invited the show down to Arizona, and told listeners of the white nationalist program that they can apply for his department's “posse” program.

The Political Cesspool website states: “We represent a philosophy that is pro-White. ... We wish to revive the White birthrate above replacement level fertility and beyond to grow the percentage of Whites in the world relative to other races.”

The Anti-Defamation League states that Political Cesspool regularly gives voices to “anti-Semites, white supremacists, and other right-wing extremists.” The Southern Poverty Law Center writes that the Political Cesspool is a “shamelessly white nationalist radio talk show” and host James Edwards “has probably done more than any of his contemporaries on the American radical right to publicly promote neo-Nazis, Holocaust deniers, raging anti-Semites and other extremists.” Political Cesspool has been streamed by Stormfront.org, which describes itself as a “community of White Nationalists.”

SPLC notes that the Political Cesspool's guest roster reads like a “Who's Who” of radical racists. The show has hosted “neo-Nazis,” white supremacists and former Klan leaders such as "white supremacist" Sam Dickson; "white supremacist" Paul Fromm; former Klan leader David Duke; and “neo-Nazi activist April Gaede.”

During the program, Political Cesspool co-host Eddie Miller asked (1:40 min. into the second segment) Babeu how they could help him. Babeu responded that Miller is a “great American,” and that the country is “sprinting down the path to socialism.” Babeu added that he'd be “honored” to welcome the show to Pinal County “so you could tell all of your listeners that -- truly, first hand, what's going on.” Babeu also promised to connect Miller with one of his deputies on patrol.

Babeu got some fundraising in, stating (7:30) that if “people go to SheriffPaul.com ... if people chose, if they have 5, 10, 20 bucks and they want to lend help ... we'd love to have their support.” Miller told Babeu that he hopes his listeners will respond. At the conclusion of the interview, Edwards told Babeu that he'll help drum up support for him within his “sphere of influence.”

In a July 16 blog post touting Babeu's appearance, Edwards wrote: “We should stand with those who stand with us and fight to put America First by securing our borders against all odds. Visit Sheriff Paul's website and let him know you appreciate him sticking his neck out to protect the citizens of this country."

Miller also asked Babeu what listeners could do if they wanted to volunteer to be a deputy for Babeu. He replied by stating that they can help by applying to join a “posse” program.

Prior to Babeu appearing on the program, Miller said he's never been as excited about a guest since he talked to former Klan leader David Duke.*

It's not clear whether Babeu knew about the white nationalist orientation of the program when he appeared, though the “pro-white” message of the show is clear from visiting the program's website and a quick Google search. As Media Matters noted, Babeu is a frequent guest on cable news programs. Babeu currently appears in television ads for Sen. John McCain's reelection campaign.

Full segments

Segment 1 of the Political Cesspool -- Babeu interview:

Segment 2 of the Political Cesspool -- Babeu interview:

*Paragraph added.