Watch MyFoxPhoenix Inflate Joe Arpaio's Already Soaring Ego *VIDEO*

​Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, as of late, has been not-so-subtly bragging that GOP presidential candidates are (allegedly) calling on him for campaign advice.

According to the sheriff, Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is widely considered the front-runner in the race to become the GOP presidential nominee, recently called him "at home" to chat about immigration and other issues.

Arpaio claims other Republican presidential hopefuls have also sought his advice. Arpaio, however, is the only one making those claims. 

For those familiar with Arpaio, his boasting about an alleged phone call from a national political figure is just another day at the office. But not for the news team at MyFoxPhoenix, which recently treated the sheriff to an ego-boosting piece about how important he is on the national stage.

It's good for a laugh -- below is the lede for a segment titled "GOP Candidates Woo Sheriff Joe for Endorsement" (again, the only person confirming the alleged wooing is the sheriff himself -- and his media team, which set the bait for Phoenix's Fox affiliate):

"It's a crowded field of Republicans eyeing the 2012 nomination, so they are trying to do everything to get votes. And some are trying to do everything to get one particular person's vote - 'America's Toughest Sheriff.'

In the video (which you can see below) you can almost see the sheriff's head expand with each softball lobbed at him by reporter Britt Moreno.

As we've mentioned in prior posts, Perry's office has not confirmed whether the alleged phone call ever took place. We'll let you know if Perry's camp gets back to us.