The far-right Claremont Institute, based here in Southern California, will be honoring Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco this Thursday. Above all else, this is a reflection of the sorry state of the American conservative movement.
The Claremont Institute, which purports to fight “to restore the principles of the American Founding to their rightful, preeminent authority in our national life,” was once a reputable home for conservative thinkers and activists.
Over the last several years, following the trend away from a conservatism centered on free markets and limited government, the Claremont Institute has become a hotbed for far-right fever dreams.
The institute has been at the forefront of seeking to provoke fear in Americans about a so-called “Great Replacement” of Americans with “Third World foreigners with no tradition of, taste for, or experience in liberty.”
The institute has strenuously defended former Chapman University law school Dean John Eastman, one of the key architects of former President Donald Trump’s schemes to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Eastman is a fellow at the institute.
Now, the institute is set to honor Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco this week in, of course, Huntington Beach.
Former United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions is slated to speak at the event, which is perfectly consistent with Claremont’s revulsion toward liberty. As AG, Sessions worked to expand the unconstitutional practice of civil asset forfeiture, desired a revival of the War on Drugs (“good people don’t smoke marijuana”) and even fought against President Trump’s criminal justice reform effort (the FIRST Step Act).
With judgment like this, it is no wonder Claremont thinks it’s a good idea to honor Sheriff Bianco.
Bianco has made the rounds over the past few years on right-wing media outlets, from Fox News to the Epoch Times, endearing himself to some on the right with his criticisms of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
But a look at Bianco’s actual track record shows he’s not the sort of politician one should be celebrating.
First, it’s essential to remember that Bianco was elected to the role of sheriff after being recruited to run by the local deputies union and with the support of several public sector unions.
On Bianco’s watch, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has been in crisis.
The department is under state investigation after a historic spike in jail deaths last year. It is now facing calls for independent oversight, including from former Democratic Assemblyman Jose Medina and former Supervisor Bob Buster.
In recent months, deputies have been arrested for crimes ranging from “sextortion” to drug trafficking.
Bianco’s deputies recently lost 60 pounds of methamphetamine in a drug bust gone wrong. And the county had to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit after deputies terrorized an elderly couple with warrantless searches.
Yet in the eyes of the Claremont Institute, Bianco is a “longtime patriot and tireless defender of America’s founding principles.”
This editorial board hopes for a time when the American right can return to coherent principles. But we suspect we’ll be holding our breath for a while longer.
