Action movie star Steven Seagal says he “would remotely consider” running for Arizona governor. In an interview with Phoenix ABC affiliate ABC15, Seagal said he has discussed the possibility with Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio but says he has “a lot more other responsibilities that may be more important to address.” The 61-year-old actor made the comments while promoting the latest season of his reality show Steven Seagal—Lawman: Maricopa County. In the show, Seagal joins forces with Arpaio as a member of the group of civilians who help out the self-described “toughest sheriff in America.”
So, what does Seagal think is the most serious problem facing the country? After spending time with Arpaio the answer may not be too surprising: open borders. “Believe it or not I think it’s open borders,” Seagal said. “People are talking about Islamic terrorism in America. I don’t think that at all … I think across these borders any kind of terrorism can come and does come and I think this is a tremendous oversight by the current administration. I think that it’s a crime and I think we should really be paying attention to our borders.” He also strongly defended Arpaio against claims that the reason why he’s so focused on illegal immigration is because he’s racist. “Is Joe Arpaio racist? No, he’s not. And I’m not going to say, I don’t think he’s not—he’s not. He doesn’t care what nationality you are, he cares if you’re a criminal.”
Seagal’s reality show ran for two seasons on A&E and was set in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. But the local Sheriff’s Office stopped cooperating with the show after a sexual harassment lawsuit was filed by a woman who claimed Seagal tried to keep her as a “sex toy” during the filming of the reality show, notes the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The show was thought to be dead but then cable channel Reelz picked it up.
