Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke attends the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland, February 23, 2017.
Mike Theiler
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Getty Images
Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke was outspoken supporter of Donald Trump during the campaign. Now, he will be joining the administration as an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. Clarke announced his new position during an interview on a local radio show.
Clarke has become a conservative media favorite for his antics on social media and as a TV guest. In July 2016, he called Black Lives Matter a "hate group" during an appearance on Fox News, and has referred to Planned Parenthood as "Planned Genocide" on his podcast.
The announcement of Clarke's new position at DHS, which he said wold begin in July, comes just weeks after prosecutors launched an investigation into the death of Terrill Thomas, an inmate who died of dehydration while in solitary confinement in Milwaukee County Jail, which Clarke oversees. An investigation revealed that jail officials had cut off water to Thomas's cell for seven days prior to his death. On Monday, an inquest jury found probable cause to charge seven prison officials with felony neglect of a prisoner. Four inmates have died in custody at the jail in the past year.
