by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 2, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona Republicans on a House Oversight Committee have concluded their investigation of Attorney General Kris Mayes’ time in office and have recommended a course of action.
Earlier this week, the Arizona House Ad Hoc Committee on Executive Oversight released its comprehensive investigative report. The report found “that Attorney General Kris Mayes has abused power, neglected legal duties, and committed malfeasance in office.”
The summary of the report, which was transmitted to the Arizona Speaker of the House, recommended that “the House adopt a resolution impeaching Attorney General Mayes,.. scrutinize all appropriations made to the Attorney General’s Office, continue to exercise oversight over Attorney General Mayes’ abuses of office, and consider legislation in the next legislative session to strengthen and clarify Arizona laws aimed at preventing further weaponization of the Attorney General’s Office.”
According to a press release from Arizona House Republicans, the Committee made the following key findings in its 102-page report:
- Attorney General Mayes unjustifiably threatened the Mohave County Board of Supervisors with personal criminal and civil penalties if they voted against her wishes.
- Attorney General Mayes abused the legal system to attack her political opponents.
- Attorney General Mayes abused her power and authority under Arizona’s Consumer Fraud Act by issuing a consumer alert filled with deception, fraud, and misrepresentations about organizations providing health care service to women.
- Attorney General Mayes has misused public resources and town halls to threaten public nuisance lawsuits against farmers and advocate for ballot measures relating to groundwater use.
- Attorney General Mayes refused to defend state laws when challenged in court, including Arizona’s Save Women’s Sports Act.
- Attorney General Mayes hindered the Committee’s work by failing to timely produce records and information and refusing to explain her actions to the Committee.
State Representative Jacqueline Parker, the Chairwoman of the Committee issued a statement following her panel’s completed report, writing, “The people of Arizona deserve better from the state’s chief legal officer. I am deeply frustrated and disappointed by Attorney General Mayes’ lack of cooperation with our requests for more information and records concerning the many allegations that came to the Committee’s attention. I am also disappointed that none of my Democratic colleagues decided to participate whatsoever or learn about the proper role of the Attorney General under our state constitution. Despite the Attorney General’s lack of transparency with the Committee, we have seen and heard enough.”
Parker added, “I hope all House members will thoroughly review the Committee’s report and findings and agree to impeach Attorney General Mayes and consider other measures outlined in our report to prevent future weaponization of the AG’s office.”
Representative Joseph Chaplik, a Republican, agreed with the report, stating, “Kris Mayes is clearly abusing her power. I agree with the conclusions of my fellow caucus members and we should immediately move to impeach Kris Mayes in the Arizona House of Representatives. Her unethical and reckless conduct is a danger to all Arizonans.”
Democrats pushed back against the assertions and recommendations from the report. Governor Katie Hobbs posted, “Extremists in the legislature are playing partisan politics with this sham committee. They need to put an end to the political stunts and do their job.”
State Representative Nancy Gutierrez said, “AG Mayes has integrity and is doing her job. The republicans in the legislature can’t handle it, so they had a sham hearing and will need Dem support to get her out of office.”
Gutierrez also boasted about her lack of attendance for this committee’s “ridiculous” hearings. She accused Republicans of a “typical bait and switch – putting on a show to distract from HCR 2060 and taking away mail in voting.”
Another legislative Democrat, Representative Oscar De Los Santos weighed in on the release of the report, saying, “This kangaroo court’s hack-job report is politics at its worst. Attorney General Mayes has done a stellar job of protecting consumers, fighting for reproductive freedom, and defending our democracy from extremist criminals.”
A spokesperson for Mayes told a local reporter that “the investigative report released today by the sham House ad hoc oversight committee isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. This partisan stunt by far-right members of the Legislature makes a mockery of real legislative oversight.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 1, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A number of Arizona Republicans quickly reacted to the unprecedented verdict out of New York City against former President Donald J. Trump, while Democrats across the state largely retweeted sensational headlines.
The Arizona Senate Republicans Caucus “X” account wrote, “This is a dark day in American history. The justice system has been weaponized by the radical left to take out a political opponent. This is something you’d expect from a communist nation, not the greatest country mankind has ever seen.”
State Representative Joseph Chaplik, a Republican, posted, “Rigged Trial. Compromised Judge. The American people won’t put up with this and will re-elect Trump in a landslide.”
State Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope added, “I’ve never financially contributed to a presidential campaign until today. Arizona will be behind President Donald Trump this November and that’s the verdict that matters!”
Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma, a Republican, commented, “When history is written, this will go down as one of the darkest days in American political history. The political prosecution of a former President for murky charges is a disgrace. Our democracy never contemplated lawfare as a political weapon and we cannot continue down this path.”
State Senator Wendy Rogers said, “Today marks a regrettable event in American history, as Democrats celebrated the conviction of the opposing party’s leader on charges based upon testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon.”
Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo, a Democrat, shared an infographic of jury’s decision for the former president, noting that “Today was a big win for the rule of law, election transparency, and our constitution.”
Many Democrats in the Arizona Legislature did not post their own comments and opinions about the verdict on their “X” accounts, though some of those members reposted news stories about the historic outcome from the Manhattan courtroom.
Both Republicans and Democrats in Arizona are closely watching the aftermath of this verdict with how tight the November General Election figures to be in the Grand Canyon State. Not only are Trump and President Joe Biden competing for the state’s eleven critical Electoral College votes, but Arizona showcases significant contests for the U.S. Senate, several ballot initiatives, and the State Legislature.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | May 31, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A high-profile visitor recently made the trek to the southern border in Yuma, Arizona.
Earlier this month, former Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Chad Wolf made a trip to Yuma, Arizona, to check on the status of the southern border under the Biden administration. Wolf served as one of the DHS Secretaries in the Trump administration.
Wolf first visited a local food bank. He noted that “the situation here is getting worse not better, [that] 116 different nationalities [require] numerous food / dietary challenges, [and that] the surge in illegal aliens is severely impacting the food bank’s ability to provide for the people of Yuma.”
He added that a “major concern here is the Biden administration’s push to eliminate the requirement to have an ID or be a resident in order to receive food benefits.”
The former Trump cabinet official stopped by the wall at the international boundary, which was a staple of the previous administration in border states.
When Wolf was at the border, he spotted travel documents from illegal aliens who had recently crossed. One of the papers he located was a boarding pass from an alien who traveled to Cancun two days prior and crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in Yuma on that day. Wolf stated that the “cartel facilitated.”
He also highlighted a group of illegal immigrants who crossed the border at 2:30am the next morning, taking pictures of some of the approximately 60 individuals who were now being processed by the Border Patrol. Wolf asserted that there were “seven different nationalities represented – including Syrians and Chinese.”
The final post from Wolf focused on the construction of the border wall under both the Trump and Biden administrations. Wolf focused on the “remaining steel bollards lying on the ground and unused.” He opined that “the Biden team redesigned new fencing to plug gaps and to say they didn’t build ‘Trump’s’ wall instead of using this infrastructure,” adding that this was a “waste of taxpayer dollars.”
This week, Wolf shared a recap video from Polaris National Security to share highlights and information about his trip to the border.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | May 31, 2024 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona legislative Republicans are standing against a proposed accord from the World Health Organization.
Earlier this spring, an Arizona Senate Republican took aim at the WHO’s Pandemic Prevention Preparedness and Response Accord (PPPRA). In a statement for the Arizona Senate Republicans weekly newsletter, Senator Janae Shamp, who read the proclamation in her chamber, said that “The World Health Organization is creating a global pandemic agreement between its 194 member states, including the U.S, that would be detrimental to our health and freedoms. The Pandemic Prevention Preparedness and Response Accord would establish WHO as the governing authority on a wide range of healthcare issues, including vaccinations, abortion, and transgender therapy, all of which are rightly in the province of the American people and their representatives.”
Shamp added, “The PPPRA would also establish WHO as the ‘arbiter of truth’ on all pandemic-related information, thus silencing dissenting voices in direct violation of our First Amendment rights. These are just a couple examples of how the treaty would disturbingly infringe upon our constitutional rights. This week, I read a proclamation stating the Arizona Senate opposes the United States’ participation in this agreement and urges the Biden Administration to withdraw our nation from it.”
The proclamation, entitled “Arizona’s Sovereignty from Participation in the WHO’s Pandemic Prevention Preparedness and Response Accord,” noted that the WHO’s PPPRA would “become binding upon the United States unless the Biden Administration opposes or delays adoption, [and that] there is concern that the U.S.’s participation in the PPPRA will place America’s sovereignty in jeopardy by relinquishing national and state power to an international organization over which this country has little to no control.”
The proclamation was transmitted to President Joe Biden.
Recently, former President Donald J. Trump told attendees of the Libertarian Party National Convention that “drafts of the agreement show that they (the WHO) want to subjugate America to foreign nations, attack free speech, [and] empower the World Health Organization to redistribute American resources.” He promised to “rip them (this WHO agreement and other similar arrangements) up and throw them out on day one of the Trump administration.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | May 31, 2024 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Two Arizona Republican bills to tackle the state’s deepening housing crisis were recently signed into law.
Last week, Governor Katie Hobbs signed HB 2720 and HB 2721. HB 2720 “establishes requirements relating to accessory dwelling units” – according to the overview from the Arizona House of Representatives. HB 2721 “adopts requirements for middle housing development” – also according to the overview from the state House.
In a statement that followed the governor’s signature of his bills, State Representative Michael Carbone, a Republican, wrote, “It’s the goal of Republicans in the Legislature to make life more affordable for everyday Arizonans by addressing the urgent need for more diverse housing options. I’m pleased to have the Governor sign my two bills into law, which will help mitigate the effects of rising housing costs and ensure that our teachers, nurses, firefighters, police officers, and families can live in the communities they serve and love.”
Carbone added, “Importantly, the legislation reinforces a homeowner’s right to use their property as they see fit which, for some, may include adding accommodations for multigenerational housing or to generate additional income. The enactment of this legislation is a significant step toward solving the state’s housing crisis, and I am proud of the bipartisan effort that made it possible.”
Hobbs also released a statement to mark her signature on these two proposals, saying, “I’m glad the legislature heard my calls to come to the table to pass common sense, bipartisan legislation that will expand housing options and help mitigate the effects of rising costs to make life more affordable for everyday Arizonans. And today, I’m proud to sign bills into law that will expand access to ADUs and missing middle housing.”
The governor continued, “I was born and raised in an Arizona where a middle-class family could buy their own home. In the past year alone we have made dramatic strides towards making that the reality again for the next generation. …Moving forward, I hope we can work together to address short term rentals that displace long-term community residents, and crack down on speculation by out-of-state real estate investors that drives up the cost of housing for Arizonans.”
Both bills will go into effect 90 days after the conclusion of the 2024 Arizona Legislative Session.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
