With the Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke resignation submitted, effective immediately, why and what he will do now draws speculation. Some believe he will once again be in a position to join the Trump administration in a capacity having to do with law enforcement. Not too many months ago, Sheriff Clarke was seemingly poised to assume a role with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a liaison, corresponding with other law enforcement agencies across the nation.
That tentative DHS role ended when Clarke reportedly changed his mind. Similar to his August 31, 2017 resignation as the Milwaukee County sheriff, Clarke made a decision and offered no reasoning other than suspenseful allusions. In a later-day statement, Clarke said, “After almost 40 years serving the great people of Milwaukee County, I have chosen to retire to pursue other opportunities. I will have news about my next steps in the very near future.”
An avid user of Twitter, Clarke tweeted:
After nearly 40 years serving my community I'm retiring. What a ride! I will announce my future plans next week after the Labor Day holiday. pic.twitter.com/pYbv7txCEZ
— David A. Clarke, Jr. (@SheriffClarke) September 1, 2017
Did It His Way
Sheriff Clarke’s resignation letter submitted to county Clerk George L. Christenson was as brief as could be, with the lawman citing law as his last official act as a top-tier Milwaukee official.
In essence, it wasn’t much of a resignation letter as it was a blunt statement. In its entirety, it read,”Pursuant to Wis. Stat. §17.01, this communication is submitted at the notice of my resignation as Sheriff of Milwaukee County commencing August 31, 2017, at 11:59 p.m.” High noon strategy? A telegraphed message: Leaving for lunch…for good!
It does not get any more pointed than that. Some may speculate that this is an example of thumbing one’s nose up at the oppositionists. Others may theorize Clarke simply tired of the political string pulling and suffocation methods of a local government with which he increasingly did not jibe.
Speaking of the brevity Sheriff Clarke used in his tendered resignation, Milwaukee County officials were no more verbose by announcing Clarke’s resignation in a total of six lines, two of which merely repeated Clarke’s good bye words. That confirmation arrived three hours and 17 minutes after Clarke headed for the door for the last time.
Whereas it is common to plan a retirement announcement, Sheriff Clarke did it his way. After close to four decades of being a law enforcement official, Clarke now has the time and poise to alter course. Whether he opts for book-writing and promoting or another position as a lawman or a post in the Trump camp…time will tell.
“Cop Under Fire”
The title of Sheriff Clarke’s recently released book Cop Under Fire likely offers insight as to why the abrupt resignation. Speculation is that he is under heavy scrutiny stemming from several inmate deaths which occurred in his county jail system. Lawsuits are pending.
Concurrently, it has been less of a secret and more of an unyielding annoyance that Sheriff Clarke and his boss, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, do not mix well. Albeit a Democrat-elected official, Clarke may have been riding the pendulum to the right and is closer to Republican rooting.
Speaking at the 2016 RNC as an ardent supporter of then-presidential candidate Trump, Sheriff Clarke made no bones about how he stands in the corner of our president. Question is: Is Clarke once again poised to assume a role in DC working for President Trump…or will he hit the book-promotion circuit instead? Or both.
