No investigation was ever made concerning GOP congressional candidate and former Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb by the Pinal County Attorney’s Office (PCAO), says the current administration.
PCAO made an announcement on Friday that disputed former County Attorney Kent Volkmer’s claim that PCAO had conducted a “cursory investigation” into Lamb under his leadership.
Volkmer made the claim to the Arizona Republic as part of their recent investigative report into accusations that Lamb threatened the women he’d engaged in affairs with over the years. Volkmer alleged his office acted on Lamb’s request to investigate possible criminal charges for two women speaking out about his affairs.
Volkmer also alleged that the supposed cursory investigation didn’t lead to any possibility of criminal charges.
PCAO said it could find no records of reports, investigative summaries, witness interviews, referrals due to conflict, or documented findings that could verify Volkmer’s claim. PCAO said their discovery indicated potential issues with the due diligence of past county leadership.
“Even a limited or ‘cursory’ investigation would ordinarily generate some form of documentation or investigative notes. At this time, the PCAO has not located any such records in its files,” stated the PCAO. “[R]equests for investigations by Sheriff Lamb should have been formally documented, appropriately reviewed, and, if necessary, referred out to avoid any appearance of bias or conflict of interest.”
However, PCAO did find records indicating that Volkmer’s office received word on allegations against Lamb over six years ago and failed to act.
In January 2020, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors received a packet of information outlining allegations of sexual impropriety by Lamb. The packet contained nearly 40 pages of text message screenshots and photographs to support the allegations. Tim Gustafson, a local pastor running to unseat Lamb — who was county sheriff at the time — gave the board the packet.
Per board meeting records, the board asked PCAO to review potential limitations to speech in public sessions concerning sexual topics. A deputy county attorney with the PCAO at the time promised to look into the matter.
County Attorney Brad Miller has denied that he was behind the rumor that Lamb was a “swinger” as well as a sexter.
Rep. Andy Biggs (AZ-05), whose district Lamb is hoping to represent, told KTAR in an interview last week that he would “reserve judgment” on the accusations against Lamb. Biggs is leaving Congress to try to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Both Biggs and Lamb are both members of the Mormon church.
As new developments continue to emerge regarding the sex scandal allegations against Lamb, the former sheriff declined to appear for the Arizona Clean Elections Commission’s Republican primary debate for the 5th Congressional District on Thursday.
Only Lamb’s primary contender, a Christian builder named Daniel Keenan, appeared for the debate. Keenan discussed his campaign platform for nearly half of an hour.
There are three Democratic candidates vying to flip Biggs’ seat: Brian Hualde, Chris James, and Elizabeth Lee.
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The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors gained a new ally in their ongoing court battle against Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap over elections authority.
The board received a supporting brief from a former longtime Maricopa County recorder, Helen Purcell.
Purcell, a Republican, filed the 57-page brief with the help of the States United Democracy Center (SUDC) — the same organization that colluded with Attorney General Kris Mayes to prosecute 2020 allies of President Donald Trump.
Purcell’s brief said that the board wasn’t mandated by statute to delegate election administration duties to the recorder but instead retained the power of discretionary judgment to award that authority based on whether the recorder was “cooperative and experienced,” and proving to “serv[e] the interests of the county and its voters.”
Further on, Purcell made the case that the court should “preserve the status quo” by keeping elections authority with the board, due to the nearness of the primary election set to take place next month. She referenced a Supreme Court case involving her, Purcell v. Gonzalez, and the resulting “Purcell Principle”: that courts shouldn’t modify election rules too close to an election.
Purcell also claimed that state law designating elections authority was ambiguous, and that the trial court that ruled in Heap’s favor had established “a blanket hierarchy” not imposed by the law.
“[That ruling declared that] the recorder controls every function where the office is named, and the ‘other officer’ serves only at the recorder’s discretion,” stated Purcell. “That construction disregards the historical and operational context against which these statutes were enacted, and […] would produce results the legislature could not have intended, stripping away the flexibility the legislature built into the statutory scheme.”
Instead, Purcell said the recorder and board each maintained direct authority over certain functions, and shared some. Recorder functions included voter registration and early ballot signature verification, and board functions included Election Day operations, ballot tabulation, and jurisdictional elections, said Purcell, and the two shared functions like chain of custody documentation.
Although Purcell departed from the recorder’s office nearly 10 years ago, she is no stranger to reentering the muddy waters of election-related disputes. Purcell served as county recorder from 1988 to 2017.
Purcell filed a joint brief in support of maintaining a ranked choice voting ballot initiative in 2024 with former state lawmaker Ken Bennett. Another former recorder for Maricopa County, Stephen Richer, also filed a brief in support of the initiative.
Ranked choice voting would require voters to rank every candidate on their ballot. Only the candidate to earn 50% of the vote would be declared the winner. Otherwise, voters would have to enter additional rounds of voting until a candidate breaks 50%.
Gov. Katie Hobbs appointed Purcell as co-chair of an elections task force her first year in office, and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes praised Purcell for the ensuing report. Hobbs ultimately allocated over $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for elections-related initiatives proposed by the task force for the 2024 election. ARPA funds were initially meant for economic stimulus efforts pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Republican lawmakers criticized the task force at the time for its “secretive” conduct, and alleged that the task force was Hobbs’ way of circumventing statutory requirements to modify election law and procedures.
The task force was also rumored to be influenced by SUDC.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Purcell and Bennett filed a joint brief in support of ranked choice voting. That statement has been corrected.
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Ranchers in Arizona and across the nation secured a step toward a potentially major grazing rights victory from the federal government following the intervention of a coalition of Arizona’s Republican congressmen.
Republican Reps. Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), Eli Crane (AZ-02), and Paul Gosar (AZ-09) successfully petitioned the Department of the Interior (DOI) to issue a newly proposed grazing rule that purports to give ranchers greater flexibility and security for their work.
Biggs offered his support for this proposed rule, announced by the DOI on Monday. Biggs promised to Arizonans in a press release that the rule would prioritize American ranchers and food security.
“Under the previous administration, cattle ranchers were forced to reduce their herd counts because of federal mandates and orders cutting public grazing land use. This administration knows how critical it is to protect our great ranchers and allow these families to provide abundant food to the American people.”
DOI Secretary Doug Burgum issued a similar commitment to ranchers about the impact of the rule.
“For too long, ranchers and land managers have been forced to work under outdated rules that do not match today’s challenges,” said Burgum. “President Trump has made it clear that we must cut red tape, support the people who feed our nation and ensure our public lands remain healthy for future generations. These updates will help us do exactly that.”
The proposed rule promises to streamline grazing administration and expand rangeland health standards. As part of this approach, the Bureau of Land Management was directed to update definitions, simplify processes, and clarify regulatory language.
Last December, Biggs sent a letter requesting actionable support on expanding and rebuilding American cattle to Burgum, Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, Forest Service Chief Tim Schultz, and Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik.
Ciscomani, Crane, and Gosar signed onto Biggs’ letter, which asked the agency heads to resist influencing from “extreme environmental causes.” Certain environmental advocates — most in progressive circles — believe cattle grazing to be environmentally devastating.
“Ranchers are not the problem. They are the solution,” said Biggs. “Yet outdated regulations and false claims continue to punish them, while predators such as the Mexican wolf devastate herds under the shield of a misapplied endangered species designation.”
Biggs claimed that he’d received reports of cattle ranchers forced to reduce herd counts due to government mandates and orders impacting the use of public grazing lands, and asked the agencies to review their processes, rules, and regulations for adverse impacts on American ranchers.
“At a time when rebuilding the domestic cattle herd is vital to our food security and rural livelihoods, these mandates are unacceptable,” wrote Biggs.
U.S. cattle operations have been on the decline for nearly a decade despite increased demand — the lowest in over 70 years. USDA reporting from last year reflected that cattle operations dropped by 17% while demand grew by 10%.
Biggs echoed the sentiments of blame regularly expressed by the average American rancher: increasing pressures from bureaucratic red tape magnifying other issues like the rising costs of supplies, namely feed, and environmental pressures, namely drought.
The DOI will continue to gather public input for the proposed rule affecting grazing management on public lands until July 13. The BLM is scheduled to host a virtual information session about the proposed rule on June 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. MT.
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Attorney General Kris Mayes sustained a fatal blow in her case against the 2020 alternate electors for President Donald Trump.
Mayes doesn’t plan on giving up, though.
The Arizona Supreme Court denied Mayes’ appeal of lower court rulings in State v. Ward this week. This means that Mayes must start over to continue prosecution of the alternate electors.
Mayes’ spokesman Richie Taylor confirmed the attorney general plans to return to the grand jury to seek another indictment; he would not provide further comment.
Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08) said Mayes’ persistence to prosecute despite the rejection of multiple courts proved her to be “completely unhinged” and in need of sanctioning.
“She’s wasting Arizona taxpayers’ money on her obsessive, Ahab-like pursuit of patriotic Arizonans who served as alternate electors after the stolen 2020 election,” said Hamadeh. “Her first sham indictment was already laughed out of every court in the state.”
She’s wasting Arizona taxpayers’ money on her obsessive, Ahab-like pursuit of patriotic Arizonans who served as alternate electors after the stolen 2020 election.
Her first sham indictment was already laughed out of every court in…
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) June 4, 2026
Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14) — who is running to unseat Mayes this November — said Mayes was the poster child of a “rogue” attorney general.
“This is what a rogue AG looks like,” said Petersen. “Loses at every level and still not tired of losing.”
This is what a rogue AG looks like. Loses at every level and still not tired of losing. https://t.co/UKhjcfDPZx
Mayes has sustained a series of losses in her attempt to prosecute the Trump electors, each court ruling increasingly diminishing the life of her case until it reached the point where it lies now — effectively on life support as it awaits another grand jury indictment that may not come.
Last September, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected Mayes’ appeal of a ruling issued last May by the Maricopa County Superior Court. The latter court remanded Mayes’ case back to a grand jury, ruling that she violated the due process of the alternate electors by failing to give the grand jury a document critical to the indictment, the Electoral Count Act (ECA) of 1887.
The ECA is a federal law outlining the legal process for casting and counting electoral votes in presidential elections. It was modified recently in 2022 under the Biden administration through the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 (ECRA).
The ERCA, in part, limited the vice president’s involvement in electoral certification to a ministerial role, raised the congressional threshold for elector objections to one-fifth of Congress, and made state governors the authority for submitting the certificate of electors.
Key to the defense of the electors was the argument that they acted in good faith in accordance with the ECA.
Mayes has also been accused of receiving payment to prosecute the alternate electors, according to a whistleblower complaint filed last November.
That complaint alleged that States United Democracy Center (SUDC) paid around $200,000 to have prosecutorial influence over the alternate electors case. It was SUDC who advised Mayes’ office in a summer 2023 letter to prosecute Trump’s top supporters from the contentious 2020 election and its aftermath. Mayes’ office has denied the impact of the SUDC letter on their decision to prosecute the alternate electors.
Hamadeh asked the Department of Justice to investigate this alleged “pay-to-play” scheme.
That DOJ investigation is ongoing.
In April, a court of appeals judge ruled in another case that Mayes illegally withheld communications between her office and SUDC.
Trump has pardoned these alternate electors and supporters of the federal charges against them, but state charges like Mayes’ remain.
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A Democratic candidate for Congress in Arizona advocated for decriminalizing prostitution in a since-deleted clip.
JoAnna Mendoza, candidate for the 6th congressional district, said in an uncovered 2020 interview that prostitution needed to be decriminalized, especially for marginalized communities like transgender women of color.
That was the year Mendoza made an unsuccessful bid for the 11th legislative district in the Arizona State Senate. Mendoza lost against Republican State Sen. Vince Leach, now representing the 17th legislative district.
Mendoza said in a now-deleted video interview with the executive director of Equality Arizona at the time, Michael Soto, that social services and healthcare needed to replace arrests. Mendoza reframed prostitution as a means of income, not a crime.
“[We need to be] eliminating the discriminatory practices and laws so that every individual has the opportunity to be able to provide for themselves. We need to stop criminalizing people for their situations,” said Mendoza.
The National Republican Congressional Committee first released the found footage.
⚠️Arizona Democrat Joanna @Mendoza4AZ said “YES” to legalizing prostitution to benefit “trans women of color.”
Mendoza in 2020 interview with far-left group: “Yes…we need to stop criminalizing people for their situations.”
Mendoza also supported the decriminalization of marijuana, and the reduction of funding to police during her 2020 run. The latter issue Mendoza addressed in a Clean Elections Commission town hall event.
Mendoza said police funding should be reallocated to social service programs, such as those that would provide economic stability, environmental safety, healthcare, housing, and public education.
“I support the reallocation of funding to programs that would allow people to live their best lives,” said Mendoza.
Mendoza’s current campaign denied that her support for reallocating police funding was equivalent to defunding the police.
Last week, Mendoza reportedly held a closed-door campaign event with an organization that has advocated for the defunding of police, Reproductive Freedom For All, who has endorsed Mendoza.
Mendoza’s current platform doesn’t mention decriminalizing prostitution or marijuana, nor does it mention defunding the police. Mendoza’s platform provides a general focus on costs, jobs, healthcare, policing, climate, government accountability, veterans, and foreign relations.
Mendoza did provide some specifics on policy in her platform. On immigration, Mendoza advocates for legal pathways to citizenship for those who enter the country illegally while limiting deportations to violent criminals.
Mendoza also supports increased government subsidization in renewable energy and healthcare.
The political action committee founded by Gallego’s former best friend and former Democratic California Rep. Eric Swalwell, has also provided campaign support to Mendoza.
So far, Mendoza has raised over $5.3 million for her congressional run per Federal Election Commission records.
Beyond the political action committee founded by Swalwell, Mendoza has a slate of other top progressive organization endorsements, including EMILY’s List, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Equality PAC, Jewish Dems, and VoteVets.
Part of Mendoza’s popularity with the LGBTQ+ advocacy groups stems from her personal identity as a bisexual woman.
Mendoza formerly worked for former Democratic Rep. Tom O’Halleran. Mendoza served in the Marines from 1999 to 2013.
Mendoza has also worked for the Arizona Center for Economic Progress and VetsForward.
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