The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer

Today's Situation Room:

Wolf Blitzer delivers the most important news and political stories of the day. Tune to The Situation Room weekdays 4-6pm ET and Saturdays 6pm ET on CNN.
February 20th, 2012
06:59 PM ET

Exclusive interview with Sheriff Babeu

In an in-depth, exclusive interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu denies allegations of threatening a former boyfriend.

Part 2: Arizona Sheriff on leaving Romney post

Part 3: Sheriff Babeu on gay marriage

RELATED STORY: Arizona sheriff resigns Romney role after allegations

TRANSCRIPT


Filed under: Arizona • Interviews • Paul Babeu
soundoff (24 Responses)
  1. Melinda Akard

    I wish I had a bunch of money to send you in support of your campaign. I've seen you interviewed many times on FOX news shows and agree with your views wholeheartedly. Good luck, will watch your race with interest.

    February 21, 2012 at 10:30 pm | Reply
    • masom

      It sounds as huotgh Babeu had ambitions for higher office, maybe governor. He'd make a logical follow on to Brewer.If that doesn't work out maybe Babeu can hook up with former Sen. Larry Wide Stance Craig. They can console each other while looking down on the loose-living liberal rabble that surround them.

      April 4, 2012 at 10:55 am | Reply
  2. ian

    interesting that cnn is finally interviewing the sheriff and getting the other side of this story....after having broadcast the OTHER side of the story as gospel news and fact. DUH. why didnt that occur to you moooorons in the first place? i guess it was easier to make assertions and cast accusations because the sheriff is a white male and the accuser is a poor, latino migrant. naturally the poor latino migrant makes for a more compelling (and SEXIER!) story against the white republican sheriff. cnn, your jounalistic standards are so efffing low, even i'm sick of it. and fyi, i'm an urban-dwelling, qweer, white male. if i'm abandoning you due to your low standards and practices, you should probably take note. i rather doubt that you will. still, i wish you well as your ratings sink EVEN LOWER! hehe, although thats kinda hard to imagine, isnt it? maybe the ratings will improve if you hire dumber staff and conduct less informed interviews....

    February 21, 2012 at 3:04 pm | Reply
  3. mike ramon

    I believe Sheriff Babeu 100%, that ex-boyfriend of his was doing what a lot of jilted lovers do....getting revenge and that young man was in the perfect position to do it. He had helped design the Sheriff website, knew the passwords etc. He could get on the Sheriff's web and post bad things about him and could pretend to be the Sheriff himself and say some, not-so-flattering words.

    February 21, 2012 at 11:53 am | Reply
    • You Dontsay

      Well apart from the threat-to-deport he said/he said business (which may never be resolved) and Babeu's revelation that he is gay (agreed, so-what), we have a sitting Pinal County sheriff and candidate for U.S. Congress choosing to post on-line semi-nude pictures of himself, and further choosing to describe himself as "7" and cut"...

      I dont care what the Babeu's sexual orientation is, but his decisions noted above demonstrate a serious lack of judgment.

      February 21, 2012 at 4:18 pm | Reply
  4. Ian_Ichinisan

    Please, How was his CPAC speech and attacking Obama motivated by positivity? Ridiculous. By August 28th, he'll be a footnote in political history.

    February 21, 2012 at 5:35 am | Reply
  5. Ian_Ichinisan

    He keeps insisting that he didn't have the power to deport Jose. Technically true, but not completely true. Anyone of us can inform ICE that an undocumented person is living nearby and have that person, if he or she is truly undocumented, get picked up and AZ is the STATE that wanted to make it okay for local law enforcement to serve as a branch of ICE, so his protestations ring hollow. (Although, given the Obama administration's current stance on only deporting the most dangerous, it's possible Jose wouldn't have been deported. Still, Jose would have had to live in fear because that policy could change at any time!)

    Dude seems uptight about being gay. It's private. It's private, don't think of me as gay. I meant to keep it a secret.

    February 21, 2012 at 5:27 am | Reply
  6. Dale

    In the interview, Babeu made the extremely serious charge that 'Jose' had committed felony identity theft. That is an extremely serious allegation. Why did Wolf just let it pass without following up?

    February 21, 2012 at 2:12 am | Reply
  7. Karen Perry

    OK it is rare for me to talk politics....but I am compelled to voice my opinion about Sheriff Paul Babeu. He has been slaughtered by the media...and I do believe all in an effort to ruin his reputation and keep him OUT. Paul Babeu is one the most respectable, outstanding human beings I have ever met. His so called ex lover won't even show his face....what a coward. I listened to the press release that Paul did today and he answered to everything with honesty and dignity. I don't care what his sexual preference is....he is an intelligent, honorable man and I am going to vote for him!

    February 21, 2012 at 1:03 am | Reply
  8. Tom

    Let me see if I have this in all of it's pristine glory:

    Jose said he is afraid of Babeu because he was threatened with deportation yet he knew Babeu for some length of time and should have known what Babeu could or could not do. He even worked the campaign. And didn't he tell the reporter he was in this country Legally? Why would he think Babeu could deport someone who was in the country legally?

    So, WHEN did he become afraid of Babeu? While dating him? When he trapped him by using a fictitious name to con Babeu to meeting him as stated in the original story? Or was it when he took illegal control of at least two Internet sites away from Babeu so he could post embarassing content? Or was it when he admitted his involvement in that theft and gave back the control to Babeu?

    And now after his identity was hidden from the public was he afraid that his family would find out about him? Or perhaps his family and friends already knew but the general public didn't? [Yet it was okay to oust Babeu, right?] And by being responsible for outing Babeu was THAT the reason he became afraid... after the fact, of course.

    So, again, just WHEN did Jose become afraid of his former lover who he publicly betrayed after he, himself, felt [privately] betrayed?

    February 20, 2012 at 11:02 pm | Reply
    • Lisa

      Tom,

      Great point. Could not have said it better myself.

      March 16, 2012 at 11:43 am | Reply
  9. Larry in Houston

    This Just amazes me – If it weren't for his "lover" that spoke out about him – he would still be in the "closet" – can you imagine how many "closet gays" that won't come out, because they are republicans ? It amazes me why they aren't democrats, because they are the ones that will be more "accepting" to Dems than the repubs, because they want them NOT to have any rights, (take them away) and talk about their "family values" thing. If it weren't for the democrats, he wouldn't have ANY rights. The republicans litterly Hate the gays . Why would he be a Republican ? doesn't make any sense to me.

    February 20, 2012 at 10:29 pm | Reply
    • BJ

      Not all Republicans hate gays - it's that simple. And as a gay Republican, I can tell you that my entire family and all my Republican friends have always loved me and embraced me for who I am... And since when can't gays believe in family values? Are we not human? Do we not have families ourselves?

      February 21, 2012 at 5:12 pm | Reply
      • Nilam

        The sheriff has been nnnriug for office since at least 2010. We are just now finding out which office. We do not know much about Sheriff Babeu, or where his political leanings are. We do know that he came out in Senator McCain's corner in his successful run for re-election in 2010, and therefore carries the McCain Stain .I predict he will swerve to the right, or maintian that he has always been a Constitutional Conservative for purposes of a primary election. After that, we will either be pleased or very angry with another phony Conservative.I caution jumping on a bandwagon before seeing who else will be in the race. We have seen a bandwagon wave with Jeff Flake, another McCain stained Apostle.Hold on to your money, and your support.

        March 3, 2012 at 3:10 am |
    • Dawn

      You are SO MISINFORMED Larry!

      February 21, 2012 at 7:41 pm | Reply
    • Jac

      I'm wondering which inlggbog and site-building platform you might be running? I'm new to running a blog and have been thinking about using the Tripod platform. Do you consider this is a good platform to start with? I would be very grateful if I could ask you some questions through email so I can learn a bit more before getting started. When you have some free time, please be sure to get in touch with me at: . Cheers

      March 5, 2012 at 12:27 am | Reply
  10. John

    The sheriff should have dated somebody equally as accomplished and successful.

    February 20, 2012 at 10:14 pm | Reply
  11. Doug Ericson

    Wow. Great interview Mr. Blitzer. Sheriff Babeu is very frank, and is surely a rising star.

    February 20, 2012 at 9:36 pm | Reply
    • Glam

      exactly. one of the tngihs that bothers me about this is those tngihs were thrown in as afterthoughts. Nobody seemed to care about those tngihs. The sheriff heard he was being accused of rape and made sure everyone knew what a slut she was. (I am paraphrasing here, I am not actually calling her a slut) that bothers me too.

      March 5, 2012 at 12:52 am | Reply
  12. Barbara Jean

    I'm a citizen of Pinal County. I stand WITH Sheriff Paul.

    February 20, 2012 at 9:07 pm | Reply
  13. Dennis O'Neil

    Excellent interview, Mr. Blitzer. Your questions were surprising well crafted and to the point, without the usual 'gotcha' spin exhibited by many of your peers. Sheriff Babeu's answers were straightforward and concise in explaining that ugly situation and his political/personal posture on related matters.
    Congratulations to both Mr Blitzer and Sheriff Babeu for bringing something resembling real journalism back to cable network news. Hopefully your co-workers and peers at other networks take a hint from this exchange, but I'm not holding my breath in expectation.

    February 20, 2012 at 9:03 pm | Reply
  14. MMilian

    Somethings don't ring true. If the lover returned the passwords, why didn't the company who took over the websites, not change the passwords immediately. And the images....that was the sherriff's doing. Posting naked and semi-naked pictures in a public dating forum and then having someone copy them is not theft, they were there for all to see, Blaming the media has become the Republican party's only defense. Sorry for the guy, but geez, spinning is what he does best.

    February 20, 2012 at 8:47 pm | Reply
  15. Jim Thomas

    Who cares.Just go and do the job you are being paid to do and try to do as good as Sheriff Joe.Jim Thomas Phx.Az.

    February 20, 2012 at 7:30 pm | Reply
  16. andrew

    Excellent interviw Mr. wolf Blitzer your questions were clear and well planed nd his answers so clarae too and he was excelent in the interview congratulations.

    February 20, 2012 at 7:18 pm | Reply

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