Merissa Hamilton, the Executive Director of Kari Lake’s organization Save Arizona Fund and Co-founder and CEO of Strong Communities Action, notched a victory against Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer in his ongoing defamation lawsuit against Lake.
The lawsuit overall is continuing to move forward with Richer stating through his complaint that he has faced “violent vitriol and other dire consequences,” due to what he calls lies spread by Lake, according to the Associated Press. In an op-ed he wrote for the Arizona Republic, Richer said, “Rather than accept political defeat, rather than get a new job, she has sought to undermine confidence in our elections and has mobilized millions of her followers against me.”
In the course of this case, Richer’s attorneys subpoenaed Hamilton, who is not a party to the lawsuit, and compelled her compliance to provide documents for the case. According to court documentation, “Hamilton informed Plaintiff’s counsel she had copied over 100,000 documents. As was her right under A.R.S. § 12-351, Hamilton insisted on payment of reasonable costs at the time of production.” Hamilton assessed her costs to be $32,345.50.
Per A.R.S. § 12-351, ‘All reasonable costs incurred in a civil action by a witness who is not a party to the action with respect to the production of documents pursuant to a subpoena for the production of documentary evidence shall be charged against the party requesting the subpoena if the witness submits an itemized statement to the requesting party stating the reproduction and clerical costs incurred by the witness.” It also allows a witness to “demand payment of the reasonable costs simultaneously with actual delivery of the subpoenaed documents.”
Rachel Alexander of the Arizona Sun Times reported via X, “MaRICOpa(sic) County Recorder Stephen Richer just got smacked down by a left wing judge; ordered to pay Merissa Hamilton $25,345.50! And it appears she was representing herself without an attorney and still won. This was regarding him trying to drag her into his defamation lawsuit against Kari Lake.”
👁️👁️👁️👁️MaRICOpa County Recorder Stephen Richer just got smacked down by a left wing judge; ordered to pay Merissa Hamilton $25,345.50! And it appears she was representing herself without an attorney and still won. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 This was regarding him trying to drag her into his…
Hamilton corrected her noting that the judge had been changed over the summer and that the presiding judge is now “the Honorable Randall Warner[.] He’s known as being a traditional Constitutionalist judge.”
Judge Warner ruled in Hamilton’s favor that Richer must pay Hamilton $25,345.50 upon picking up the documents even if he elects not to take them, ruling that “Hamilton is not entitled to $7,000 for clerical costs both because those costs are not itemized as required by A.R.S. § 12-351(A), and because 280 hours—the equivalent of seven people working full-time for a week—is an unreasonable amount of time to spend on producing documents.”
Richer’s legal team argued that “Hamilton’s costs are unreasonable because they result from her unilateral decision to produce paper documents. Plaintiff points out that the subpoena and Rule 45 direct documents to be produced in native form and as they are kept in the usual course of business.” However, Hamilton noted that the cover letter she received with the subpoena stated, “Plaintiff was seeking ‘copies of all documents requested,’ that she could comply with it by ‘mailing or delivering the requested documents,’ and that she would be reimbursed for ‘reasonable copying expenses.’” She also pointed out that the letter failed to mention electronic production as an option and that her decision to produce the documents on paper was reasonable.
Judge Warner did concede that “Hamilton misread Plaintiff’s instructions, which any lawyer familiar with the discovery rules would understand as a request for documents in native form. This means digital documents must be produced in their original digital form. Documents stored as PDF’s must be produced as PDF’s. Word documents must be produced as Word documents. Excel files must be produced as Excel files.” However, he added “But it is easy to see how a non-lawyer endeavoring to comply with Plaintiff’s subpoena could be confused.”
In law, many attorneys believe you should never ask a question you don’t know the answer to. It seems clear that Richer didn’t know Hamilton would answer on paper.
Arizona Senator Jake Hoffman recently responded to the launch of an Arizona chapter of “Republicans For Harris” with a blistering comment.
In his scorching post to X, Hoffman quipped “Strange… I thought prostitution was illegal in Arizona.” He advised his fellow Republicans to “Ignore these whores,” and asserted confidently, “Donald J. Trump will win Arizona.”
Strange… I thought prostitution was illegal in Arizona
In the image shared by Delaney Corcoran, Communications Director for the Harris campaign, Mesa Mayor John Giles is shown headlining the rally. “Our party used to stand for the belief that every Arizonan, no matter their background or circumstances, should have the freedom, opportunity and security to live out their American Dream,” he wrote, in his endorsement of Harris according to The Hill.
“But since Donald Trump refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 election, Republicans have yet to course correct,” Giles claimed. “The Republican Party with Trump at its helm continues down the path of political extremism, away from focusing on our fundamental freedoms.”
Expressing a similar sentiment, former Maricopa County GOP Chair Tyler Bowyer wrote, “For those not aware— John Giles is not a real Republican. He sold out in exchange for switching his party later to run for Congress next term to replace Democrat Greg Stanton in CD4. This is simple backroom politicking. He is supporting the most radical leftist ticket ever.”
For those not aware— John Giles is not a real Republican. He sold out in exchange for switching his party later to run for Congress next term to replace Democrat Greg Stanton in CD4.
This is simple backroom politicking. He is supporting the most radical leftist ticket ever https://t.co/dwz92oRyBO
In the aftermath of his initial comment, Hoffman addressed concerns over his choice of words from one commenter Kenny Jacobs, writing, “This commie is crying because I used textbook definitions to describe fake Republicans who’ve decided their virtue signaling and future pay day is more important than your future[.] Sorry losers Pimp yourself out to the Left at the expense of hardworking Americans… you’re a whore.”
This commie is crying because I used textbook definitions to describe fake Republicans who’ve decided their virtue signaling and future pay day is more important than your future
He cited The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 5th Edition definition of “Prostitute” which reads, “A person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain.
Hoffman is currently one of several defendants in an ongoing organized lawfare campaign by Arizona’s Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes. He is being prosecuted for his 2020 role on the GOP slate of alternate electors who prepared documentation to be presented to Congress in the event that the slate favoring President Joe Biden was rejected.
In a more recent post, he has also revealed a letter from an Instagram whistleblower with nearly 150k followers, “exposing a sophisticated Astroturfing effort underway by the Harris-Walz campaign. Social media users are being PAID to post pro Harris-Walz content on Instagram.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has brought a lawsuit against Southwest Key, a non-profit organization based in Texas operating eight shelters for illegal immigrant children in Arizona. In the lawsuit, the DOJ alleges that the firm, through its employees, “has engaged in a pattern or practice of sexual abuse and harassment of the unaccompanied children.”
As reported by the Arizona Daily Independent, Southwest Key has profited greatly from operating the shelters through lucrative federal government grants in excess of $5.6 billion paid out from the Department of Health & Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement since 2003. The lawsuit from the DOJ is rooted in the company’s alleged violation of the Fair Housing Act.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas alleges that from 2015 through at least 2023, several Southwest Key employees “subjected children in their care to severe or pervasive sexual harassment that has included, among other things, sexual contact and inappropriate touching, solicitation of sex acts, solicitation of nude photos, entreaties for inappropriate relationships and sexual comments.”
The lawsuit charges Southwest Key with taking insufficient action to protect the children it was contracted to care for and furthermore failed to follow federal requirements for the prevention, detection, and reporting of abuse despite the Office of Refugee Relocation reportedly issuing several corrective actions against them.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in the release, “Sexual harassment of children in residential shelters, where a child should be safe and secure, is abusive, dehumanizing and unlawful. Sexual abuse of children is a crisis that we can’t ignore or turn a blind eye to. This lawsuit seeks relief for children who have been abused and harmed, and meaningful reforms to ensure no child in these shelters is ever subjected to sexual abuse again.”
U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani of the Southern District of Texas wrote, “In search of the American Dream, children often endure perilous journeys on their migration north to the southern border. The sexual harassment alleged in the complaint would destroy any child’s sense of safety turning what was an American Dream into a nightmare.”
“We look forward to working together with the Civil Rights Division (CRD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas (WDTX) to provide justice for the victims who allegedly suffered harm in Southwest Key’s shelters.”
As noted by the Arizona Daily Independent, the outlet has reported on Southwest Key for more than ten years with cofounder and longtime contributor Loretta Hunnicutt citing her concerns publicly in reports and in meetings with public officials as early as 2014. Per the ADI, these efforts were met with “indifference or outright contempt for the minors.”
The ADI recapped the lengthy reports implicating Southwest Key writing in part:
“Hunnicutt met with former Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas in 2015 to ask that Southwest Key be directed to remove the fencing around their shelters in accordance with ORR policy, which prohibits fencing around the places where refugees reside. Fenced in by an organization paid billions to house them, America’s youngest refugees have had no escape. Douglas declined.”
“In December 2015, the Arizona Daily Independentreported on former Southwest Key employee whistleblowers who testified to running a corrupt, prison-like environment.”
“In response, then-Arizona State Rep. Bob Thorpe, who chaired the House Federalism, Property Rights and Public Policy Committee, called for an investigation into the Southwest Key facilities under contract by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).”
Sources within the company gave the ADI several startling reports as well telling the outlet:
“Children were viewed as commodities.”
“Under the constant directive of keeping costs down, staff were directed to ignore children’s complaints of hunger.”
Furthermore, they were “to give the children only a quarter-sized dollop of soap for bathing.”
Staff were also instructed to “give one child’s underwear to be reused for another.”
Through the lawsuit, the Department of Justice is seeking to exact monetary damages from Southwest Key in order to compensate the children victimized in the shelter and obtain a court order compelling Southwest Key to take the necessary steps to avoid future abuse.
The DOJ has requested that anyone who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or abuse at Southwest Key shelters or who has information that may be relevant to this case, please contact the Justice Department’s housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291.
A Phoenix public school district has come under fire after the Goldwater Institute revealed it’s Governing Board and Administrative Team were treated to a three-day $4,000 per person “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) conference at a Napa Valley wine country resort. The conference was hosted by the California Association of Black School Educators.
According to the report released by the Goldwater Institute, the “4th Annual California Association of Black School Educators (CABSE) Institute,” was held at the posh Meritage Resort and Spa, where off-season rooms run about $400 per night between July 14 – 17. The Creighton Elementary School District Governing Board and Administrative Team reportedly enjoyed the offerings of the conference, which included, “a five-hour ‘Chairman’s Soiree’ at a local winery, where participants were bussed in to enjoy wine and haute cuisine.” According to a post on LinkedIn, registration for education leaders was $850 per person.
Taxpayer-funded wine tastings? School leaders splurge on glitzy DEI conference: https://t.co/M1o1FGTClt
The theme of the conference, “Black to Basics, Root Causes, Interventions” is an overtly race-driven plan to “foster collaborative action among California education professionals committed to advancing equity for Black students.”
The agenda for the convention was conspicuously absent from the CABSE website, however, based upon the 2023 offerings we can glean an understanding of the likely content.
In 2023, the conference offered:
“A Whole Village Approach to Equity,”
“Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning,” and
“Equity in Mental Health.”
Images posted to X by the ‘UCLA Center for the Transformation of School’ taken at the conference showed presentations from CTS Project Director Dr. Stanley L. Johnson, Jr. entitled “What Are Your Basics For Black Students?” and “The Machinery of Improvement: Practices, Policies, and Advocacy”
Creighton Elementary School District Governing Board documentation located by AZ Free News confirmed that the Governing Board officially approved the trip during its April 16 Regular Board meeting. The document noted:
“Governing Board members and staff from the superintendent’s office are requesting permission to attend the 4th Annual California Association of Black School Educators (CABSE) Institute to be held in Napa, California, July 14-17, 2024, at a cost of approximately $3,800-4,000 per person. The CABSE Institute Is a three-day convening designed to foster collaborative action among education professionals committed to advancing equity for Black students. This conference is a unique gathering of board members, district superintendents, administration officials, teachers, leaders, and decision makers from across the nation. “
At the same meeting, the district’s personnel action report revealed that over fifty educators resigned effective May 24 with the vast majority described as for “personal” reasons.
During the August 6th Governing Board Meeting, Board Member Katie Gipson McLean reported on the conference, saying it was, “a cool, fun conference to go to,” and adding that “they’re encouraging people to be candid and open and honest and have these larger conversations among the group about issues that are impacting specifically black and brown youth.”
Board President Sophia Carrillo summarized the conference stating, “Their theme was ‘Black to Basics’ and it was just awesome to know that we were in a conference where that it was aligned with our goals. Right? One of our goals is our zero percent black students in grade will pass the math standardized test. And to be in a room full of doctors, educator professionals, Superintendents, school board members from California knowing that this is an issue that’s happening statewide. And they also are having these conversations in their local governing board meetings and making sure that our students that are, you know, that are most vulnerable are getting the attention and the resources that they need was just awesome. A lot of good networking from there to hopefully bring into the school district as well.”
The Goldwater Institute wrote “Plenty of unanswered questions about this year’s event remain. In a three-day conference, why was only 9.25 hours committed to substantive conference content (the sessions where one would qualify for continuing education credit), compared to 22.25 hours spent on ‘networking’ events like the winery soiree.
Why are officials from a Phoenix school district attending a California state education DEI conference with a clear California focus? And why is the district—in which 80% of students fail to meet proficiency levels in reading (across all races combined)—narrowly focusing resources toward a single racial demographic to the exclusion of others, while apparently deprioritizing the 80% of students who are Hispanic or Asian, for instance?”
The institute added, “The district should also produce a detailed conference agenda, a list of all persons attending the conference (the entire governing board and the superintendent’s cabinet were approved to attend), and receipts for all relevant travel expenses, in addition to divulging whether any attendees brought guests to enjoy this taxpayer-funded vacation.”
Arizona leaders from both the Democratic and Republican parties reacted to the announcement that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will join Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to take the presidency in 2024. After being appointed the Democratic nominee in an irregular process disregarding the primary election, but prior to a largely ceremonial Democratic Convention, Harris announced Tuesday that Walz would join her as Vice Presidential nominee. Democrats in the state appeared to be largely toeing the party line with supportive statements, despite the very public snub of VP hopeful Sen. Mark Kelly. Republicans expressed concern that Walz will serve to radicalize the Democratic ticket further to the left.
As reported by AZ Capitol Times, Governor Katie Hobbs hailed the nomination saying she was “absolutely thrilled” about it. “I’ve had the chance to work with him directly on many issues and have seen first-hand his dedication to the American people,” she added, referring to her work with her fellow Democrat Governor. “I know the governors know what it takes to deliver for their states,” Hobbs told reporters. “And I am confident Gov. Walz and Vice President Harris will deliver for Arizona.”
Speaking to AZ Central, the normally rigid Hobbs uncharacteristically gushed at Walz, one of her few gubernatorial colleagues widely judged as more radically left, “Oh my gosh, you should have been in my house and heard my scream when I saw the news this morning. I’m absolutely thrilled that Vice President Harris has chosen him to be her running mate.”
In a post to X, Sen. Kelly, one of Walz’s chief rivals for the post wrote, “Vice President @KamalaHarris and Governor @Tim_Walz are going to move us forward. They’re already building a campaign to unite our country — and @GabbyGiffords and I are ready to do everything we can to help them win.”
Vice President @KamalaHarris and Governor @Tim_Walz are going to move us forward. They’re already building a campaign to unite our country — and @GabbyGiffords and I are ready to do everything we can to help them win.
Democrat Congressman and Senate nominee Ruben Gallego wrote a post to X, emphasizing Walz’s military service, which has come under heavy scrutiny with accusations that the Governor retired early, mid-training to avoid serving in Iraq, and losing his conditional rank as Command Sergeant Major.
Here is an official statement by CSM Thomas Behrends, who stepped up into the position that Tim Walz bailed from prior to the deployment. pic.twitter.com/wlPpZPWjM0
Gallego wrote that Walz, “served our country for 24 years as a National Guardsman. Serving together in the House, I saw firsthand how he’s willing to work with anyone to fight for our kids, our veterans, and our future — and our country is better off because of it. He’s a good man and will continue to serve our country well.”
.@tim_walz served our country for 24 years as a National Guardsman. Serving together in the House, I saw firsthand how he’s willing to work with anyone to fight for our kids, our veterans, and our future — and our country is better off because of it.
“We are incredibly excited to vote the Harris-Walz ticket into the White House this November,” Arizona Democratic Party Chairwoman Yolanda Bejarano offered in a written statement, “Both Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have a strong record of delivering results on the issues that Arizonans care most about– protecting abortion rights, helping working families get ahead, and protecting our democracy.”
Arizona Republicans took a decidedly different and far more concerned view of Walz, citing his heavily criticized lack of response to the 2020 BLM riots in Minneapolis as well as his radical-left policies. Republican Senate nominee Kari Lake shared images of Minneapolis burning and wrote, “While violent mobs were burning down American cities like Minneapolis, @Tim_Walz was cheering them on @KamalaHarris was bailing them out @RubenGallego was marching with them Radicals.”
While violent mobs were burning down American cities like Minneapolis,@Tim_Walz was cheering them on@KamalaHarris was bailing them out@RubenGallego was marching with them
Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ5) expressed similar concerns writing, “Tim Walz let his state burn, and Kamala raised money to bail these criminals out of jail. This is the America that the radical Left wants.”
Tim Walz let his state burn, and Kamala raised money to bail these criminals out of jail.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ2), himself a veteran Navy SEAL sniper, shared a post to X citing a New York Post article exploring the allegation of stolen valor against Walz. According to the report, retired Command Sergeants Major Thomas Behrends and Paul Herr wrote, “On May 16th, 2005, [Walz] quit, betraying his country, leaving the 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and its Soldiers hanging; without its senior Non-Commissioned Officer, as the battalion prepared for war,” in a letter first revealed by The Daily Wire.
The Republican Party of Arizona presented a damning record of Tim Walz in a post to X writing, “THE RADICAL RECORD OF TIM WALZ”:
Hesitated to deploy the National Guard during the 2020 riots, letting Minneapolis burn
Supports sanctuary cities and states, weakening our border security
Wants taxpayer dollars to fund health care and college for illegal immigrants
Advocates for universal health care and higher taxes on hardworking Americans
Defends the right to abortion on demand up until the moment of birth
Opposes voter ID laws, undermining election integrity
Admitted his “white privilege” and sympathized with vandals who tore down historic statues
Wants to phase out fossil fuels and impose strict emissions standards, harming our economy
Cozied up to China throughout his career, praising their “spectacular” modernization
Faced DUI charges and misrepresented his military rank
The AZGOP concluded, “Tim Walz is DANGEROUS for America. We can’t afford to let the far-left policies of the Harris-Walz ticket destroy our country.”
