Phoenix • The Justice Department sued the nation's self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff" on Thursday, calling Joe Arpaio's defiance of an investigation into his office's alleged discrimination against Latinos "unprecedented."

It's the first time in decades a lawman has refused to cooperate in one of the agency's probes, the department said.

The Arizona sheriff had been given until Aug. 17 to hand over documents the federal government first asked for 15 months ago, when it started investigating alleged discrimination, unconstitutional searches and seizures, and jail policies that discriminate against people whose English is limited.

Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the department's civil rights division, said it's unfortunate the department had to sue to get the documents, which neither the agency nor Arpaio would describe.

But Arpaio called the lawsuit "a ruse" and said the federal government is just trying to score a win against the state, which has found itself at the center of the nation's argument over illegal immigration since passing a law that mirrors many of the policies Arpaio has put in place in the Phoenix area.

"I think they know we have not been racial-profiling, so what's the next step? Camouflage the situation, go to the courts and make it look like I'm not cooperating," Arpaio said Thursday.

Arpaio said he provided "hundreds of thousands" of reports but hasn't turned over others because the department's request was too broad.

Kevin Ryan, former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California and a law professor at the University of San Francisco, said he thought the department's characterization of Arpaio's behavior was an overstatement.

He said the contentious relationship between the sheriff and the department is no secret. "You really can't hold it against the sheriff and assume he's guilty because he's not rolling over for the Justice Department," he said.

Arpaio believes the department's inquiry is focused on his immigration sweeps, patrols where deputies flood an area of a city — in some cases heavily Latino areas — to seek out traffic violators and arrest other offenders.

Critics say the deputies pull people over for minor traffic infractions because of the color of their skin so they can ask them for their proof of citizenship. —

Arizona guv stumbles in televised speech

Phoenix • Gov. Jan Brewer calls it the "longest 16 seconds of my life."

She stumbled through her opening statement during a televised debate Wednesday night in a cringe-eliciting performance that was quickly turning into an Internet sensation.

Brewer lost her train of thought as she was talking about her successes as governor, smiling and laughing as she struggled to speak.

"We have done everything that we could possibly do," Brewer said before the start of a long pause. "We have, uh, did what was right for Arizona." She then went on to regain her composure and continue with the debate.