by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 2, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s chief law enforcement officer announced a legal action over the 2022 election, angering some of the state’s legislative Republicans.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Kris Mayes revealed that “the State Grand Jury has returned an indictment charging Peggy Suzanne Judd and Terry Thomas ‘Tom’ Crosby with the felony offenses of Interference with an Election Officer and Conspiracy.”
In a statement issued in conjunction with the announcement, Mayes said, “The repeated attempts to undermine our democracy are unacceptable. I took an oath to uphold the rule of law, and my office will continue to enforce Arizona’s elections laws and support our election officials as they carry the duties and responsibilities of their offices.”
According to the indictment, Judd and Crosby are alleged to have “conspired to delay the canvass of votes cast in Cochise County in the November 2022 General Election,” and to have “knowingly interfered with the Arizona Secretary of State’s ability to complete the statewide canvass for the 2022 General Election.”
Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs cheered on the indictments, posting, “To give Arizonans the free & fair elections they deserve, we must hold those who seek to undermine our democracy accountable. Thank you, AG Mayes, for protecting our democracy & enforcing the law without fear or favor.”
Republican lawmakers were not as complimentary toward Mayes. Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman issued a lengthy statement, attacking the decision and the process for these indictments, calling it “a disgusting weaponization of the AZ Attorney General’s office.” Hoffman said that “this is ELECTION INTERFERERNCE by an extremist AG who wants to chill any future efforts by local election officials to challenge potentially inaccurate elections.” He predicted that these indictments would set a precedent that would be used against other local officials and encouraged Arizona County Supervisors to “leverage every tool you have at your disposal to make it clear to the entire AG’s office that weaponizing Arizona’s government has harsh consequences.”
Both Senator Anthony Kern and Representative Jacqueline Parker threatened Mayes with impeachment for these indictments.
Parker also broached the idea of indicting other County Supervisors around the state to ensure “equal treatment under the law in AZ.”
On the other side of the aisle, Democrat Representative Oscar De Los Santos praised the action, writing, “A grand jury of everyday Arizonans has indicted two MAGA politicians for conspiring to prevent the certification of a free and fair election. Criminals who conspire to undermine our democratic republic and the rule of law must be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”
These Cochise County indictments from the State Grand Jury may be the start of Mayes’ actions against Republicans on the election front. The Democrat Attorney General is believed to be progressing in her investigation over the presidential alternate electors from the Arizona Republican Party in 2020. Not much is known about this investigation or the timeline for any possible indictments, but legal action over this matter would undoubtedly create an exponentially greater firestorm with Republicans than the expressed outrage over the Cochise County indictments.
The growing dispute between the Republican-led legislature and Attorney General’s Office could have major implications for the state’s budget negotiations in 2024. Earlier this year, Attorney General Mayes expressed disappointment over the lack of resources appropriated to her office in the compromise between legislative Republicans and Governor Hobbs. At the time, Mayes said, “Today, we see a budget proposal moving forward that appears to be politically expedient for a few, but wholly inadequate for the majority of people in our state.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Sep 26, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
A year-long political feud over Arizona’s agency nominees has just entered uncharted territory.
On Monday, Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs sent a letter to Republican Senate President Warren Petersen, informing him that she would “withdraw all director nominations that remain pending before the Senate and pursue other lawful avenues of ensuring State government can continue to function for Arizonans.”
The governor blamed Senate Republicans for not “fulfilling (their) statutory obligations in good faith,” adding that they have proven themselves “unable or unwilling to carry out a valid process for confirming nominees.” She specifically attacked the “complete lack of fitness” of chairman of the Committee on Director Nominations, Jake Hoffman; and she accused him of “disrespectful behavior” and attempts to “leverage the confirmation” of qualified nominees.
Senate Republicans were quick to respond to the governor’s action. President Warren Petersen issued a statement, saying, “This move by the Executive Branch showcases another prime example of an elected official who believes they’re above the law and will go to extreme measures to bypass the requirements of the law when they don’t get their way. The law is very specific on who is to run our state agencies. Without directors fulfilling these obligations, the legality of every decision made by these state agencies is dubious, and litigation against the state would surely prevail.”
Petersen promised Arizonans that the process for vetting and confirming Hobbs’ nominees was, in fact, working and that legislators would be awaiting a new list of appointments from the state’s chief executive. He said, “Our members of the Committee on Director Nominations will continue to be professional and stand ready to resume the confirmation hearings created to critically vet her appointments in order to protect the people of Arizona from government overreach and tyranny from unelected bureaucrats. The process is working. Because of the committee’s thorough vetting, we have been able to recommend several directors for appointment and have also rejected those who proved they were not competent to serve. We are prepared to receive a new list of nominations. If they are competent and not hyper-partisan, they will have no problem getting confirmed.”
The primary target of the governor’s outrage, Senator Jake Hoffman, also released a statement to respond to the new developments. Hoffman stated, “With this latest stunt, Katie Hobbs has doubled down on her commitment to weaponizing the government of Arizona to enact her extreme far-left agenda. The people of our state deserve highly qualified, non-partisan individuals to lead these agencies, instead Hobbs has chosen to nominate partisans and ideologues. Hobbs is the only person to blame for her nominees struggling to succeed under actual due diligence. She should have done her homework prior to making her nominations, yet she chose not to and is now attempting to blame everyone else except herself for her failures.”
The East Valley legislator added, “If the Governor wishes to limit her own authority by foregoing rulemaking and other director-required activities in the absence of confirmed directors, we certainly welcome this limitation of her power. Hobbs has made it abundantly clear that she has no intention of working constructively with the Legislature the voters gave her. Instead, she’s choosing to throw petulant temper tantrums when she doesn’t get her way. The only ones who stand to lose in the wake of her childish games are the citizens of Arizona. I’m incredibly disappointed, but I’m certainly not surprised.”
According to the Governor’s Office, the following nominees were withdrawn and reassigned as Executive Deputy Directors of their respective agencies:
- Elizabeth Thorson, Arizona Department of Administration
- Angie Rodgers, Arizona Department of Economic Security
- Karen Peters, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
- Carmen Heredia, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System
- David Lujan, Arizona Department of Child Safety
- Jackie Johnson, Arizona Department of Gaming
- Joan Serviss, Arizona Department of Housing
- Barbara Richardson, Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions
- Lt. Col Dana Allmond, Arizona Department of Veterans Services
- Alec Esteban Thomson, Arizona State Lottery
- Cynthia Zwick, Residential Utility Consumer Office
- Lisa Urias, Arizona Office of Tourism
- Robyn Sahid, Arizona State Land Department
Hobbs’ release also noted that at the Committee’s current pace, Hoffman’s Senate Committee would “be holding nomination hearings well into (her) second term” – a comment (and a bold prediction) that is certain to intensify the political fires between the Governor’s Office and Legislative Republicans as they prepare to enter the second year of a very divided government.
The Arizona Senate Democrats Caucus sided with the governor, writing, “Jake Hoffman hijacked the Director Confirmation process for his own extremist agenda against abortion access. This waste of taxpayer dollars & time desperately needed to end. Arizonans can be confident that their government is running with sound and stable leadership.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Sep 17, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The future of another one of Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs’ agency directors is in legislative peril.
On Thursday, the Senate’s Committee on Director Nominations voted to recommend a ‘no’ vote on Hobbs’ selection for the Director of the Arizona Department of Housing, Joan Serviss.
In a press release announcing the result of the committee’s vote, the Senate Republican Caucus shared that “during questioning of Serviss, troubling information came to light regarding a history of repeated and seemingly pervasive plagiarism while serving as Executive Director with the Arizona Housing Coalition. The Caucus added, “Over a period of about four and a half years, an alarming number of individual statements were documented as written by other groups, but presented by Ms. Serviss as her own original works,” and “under her leadership, both government entities and the public were misled, threatening the credibility of this organization.”
The chairman of the committee, Senator Jake Hoffman, released a statement after the official recommendation, saying, “It’s frustrating that the Hobbs Administration once again did not conduct proper vetting of a nominee tasked with leading a critical agency, like the Arizona Department of Housing. We’ve carried out our due diligence and have so far identified several unqualified, partisan individuals placed by Hobbs in these positions of power that directly impact the lives and livelihoods of our citizens. As I stated during this hearing, we cannot have a Manchurian candidate who will blindly follow the direction of special interest groups. We need independent thinkers who are seeking to serve only the best interests of our state and our taxpayers. In the absence of Hobbs conducting her own thorough vetting, the Committee on Director Nominations will continue to ask the tough questions of these individuals because it is what our citizens expect of us, and our state can only afford to advance highly qualified directors to lead our agencies.”
According to the release prepared by the Senate Republican Caucus, “with the Director of the Arizona Department of Housing responsible for overseeing hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars to address homelessness and affordable housing issues, it became apparent that Ms. Serviss would be unfit to serve in this position” leading to the 3-2 vote against her appointment. Unless the governor withdraws this nomination, the full Senate will likely vote on Serviss when it reconvenes in 2024.
Senate Democrats were outraged by the committee’s rejection of Serviss. Two Senators, Lela Alston and Flavio Bravo, quickly issued a press release, condemning the action. Alston said, “I have sat in more legislative committees than I would like to admit, but I have never seen worse behavior than that which was displayed by Senator Hoffman today. Director Serviss is broadly supported by veterans, housing experts, community members, and those in the advocacy community for this role.” Bravo added, “The accusations Republicans chose to throw were not that of a legislative official who should easily be able to distinguish the difference between an advocacy letter and an academic paper…He (Hoffman) put his own personal disagreements with Governor Hobbs above the dire needs of Arizonans in urgent need of housing.”
Alston also attempted to divide Republicans on the panel in her statement, expressing sympathy for Senators Wadsack and Shope allowing “themselves to be dragged along by Hoffman in his childish exercise in ego.” Both Republicans didn’t appear to see the situation as their Democrat colleagues. Shope reposted the Senate Republicans’ press release on the hearing and its result, while Wadsack stated, “It was an honor to sit on the DINO Committee today.”
Serviss was one of Hobbs’ first appointments to cabinet-level positions back in December 2022 – before the Democrat was sworn into office. In announcing the nominations of Serviss and others on December 27, Hobbs said, “These are some of the best minds Arizona has to offer, and I am proud that they have chosen to serve the people of Arizona by my side. As a social worker, I know firsthand the importance of these crucial agencies to the lives of the people who need them. I am confident that this group of talented individuals has what it takes to transform our state’s health, social, and safety systems so that they work for everyone across Arizona.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Aug 30, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Members of Arizona’s Freedom Caucus are gearing up for the 2024 Presidential Election in the Grand Canyon State.
Earlier this month, members of the Caucus participated in a conference call with former President – and current candidate for the Republican nomination – Donald J. Trump.
The Twitter account for the legislative group posted, “The Arizona Freedom Caucus met with President Trump yesterday to discuss the immediate need for strategic investments from his campaign into Arizona. He must build the GOTV & ballot chase infrastructure necessary for 2024 – and he must build it now.”
Senator Jake Hoffman, the chairman of the caucus, took part in the national call and had the opportunity to ask a two-part question of Trump. Hoffman asked the former President if he would “commit to declassifying everything to expose the Democrats and UniParty to the American people,” and if there would be an expectation to “see investments from your campaign specifically designated for building out a robust ground game and ballot-chasing operation in our state.”
Hoffman informed Trump on the call that “Democrats are already investing heavily in Arizona to build their electoral infrastructure and ground game for 2024,” and exhorted the former Commander in Chief to match those efforts immediately in the Grand Canyon State before it becomes too late.
A source with knowledge of the call told AZ Free News that Trump committed to the Arizona Freedom Caucus and the more than one hundred conservative legislators on the call that, when elected president again, he would declassify all of the documents showing the Democrats’ “pervasive and methodical plan to erode individual liberty and cripple American exceptionalism.”
The source also highlighted that “as one of the three most important states needed to win the 2024 election, members of the Arizona Freedom Caucus felt it was imperative to make the President aware of the millions being invested in our state by the Democrats, and the $30 million or more that will need to be invested by Republicans, specifically the presidential nominee, to win this state.”
Representative Austin Smith, who was also on the call, told AZ Free News that “we discussed the immediate need for strategic investment from his campaign to Arizona.” Smith added, “(Trump) must build the GOTV, early vote and ballot chasing infrastructure necessary for 2024, and he must do it now. Not after the primary. It will not matter who the nominee is, though I believe it will be Trump. We need the investment here now in Arizona in order to win.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jun 27, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s Republican-led Legislature is taking action after the state’s Democrat governor’s attempt to legislate by executive order when it comes to abortion.
On Monday, Senator Jake Hoffman, the Chairman of the Committee on Director Nominations, announced that he was canceling the next hearing “with support of the Republican Majority serving on the committee to determine Hobbs’ future intentions to further act beyond her authority.”
The Committee had been formed in February by Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, who tasked the members with “gathering information and evaluating qualifications on the governor’s executive appointments in order to recommend a course of action for the Senate to take on each individual.” This committee had been created alongside the governor’s reticence to send many of her nominations to the Senate as required by state law.
The three Republican members of the committee – Hoffman, Sine Kerr, and T.J. Shope – sent a letter to Hobbs on Monday, informing her that she holds “the office of Governor in Arizona, not of monarch.” They wrote that her Friday executive order shows “a blatant disregard for constitutional separation of powers” by attempting “to seize lawmaking duties from the Legislature and law interpretation authority from the United States Supreme Court.”
These Republicans requested a meeting with the Hobbs’ administration “to discuss any additional unlawful overreach (her) office intends to take requiring complicity from Executive Directors,” telling the governor that they have “grave concern that the direction (she) intends to provide to (her) nominees will not allow them to fulfill this obligation (of thoroughly and objectively evaluating nominees for their commitment to execute Arizona laws, rather than create new public policies that conflict with the constitutionally established separation of powers).”
A Senate Republican Caucus spokesperson told AZ Free News that the chamber has received 21 director nominations from Hobbs, with 12 awaiting their confirmation hearings.
Hoffman released the following statement in conjunction with the release, saying, “Katie Hobbs’ reckless abuse of power and willful disregard for the separation of powers established by the Arizona Constitution sets a dangerous precedent that will not be tolerated by the Republican Majority within the Legislature. The Senate Committee on Director Nominations was created to honestly, accurately and thoroughly vet directors appointed by the Governor to critical state agencies so that only highly qualified, non-partisan individuals seeking only to serve the best interests of our citizens within the confines of these roles are confirmed. Their duty is to follow statute as prescribed by the Legislature. We are now forced to redirect our attention, from confirming directors and creating good policy for the people of Arizona, to examining the fallout of Hobbs’ unconstitutional maneuver, as well as the likelihood of future overreaches of her authority.”
Shope also issued a comment on the action from the Committee’s Republicans, stating, “Hobbs undermining our democracy by ordering these state agency Directors to act illegally is a clear violation of the constitutional separation of powers. Instead of working with Republican lawmakers on the issues that matter to our citizens, like crippling inflation, gas prices, housing costs, public safety and water security, Hobbs is gleefully attempting to circumvent the Legislature. We can’t in good faith be an accomplice to her radical and unlawful agenda.”
The third Republican on the Committee, Kerr, wrote, “We have serious concerns this Governor will put her Directors in the difficult position of choosing to follow the law or choosing to follow her unconstitutional directives. The important work of the Committee on Director Nominations cannot continue until we have assurances from the Governor that she will cease her attempts to circumvent the laws of this state and the rulings of the United States Supreme Court.”
Arizona Senate Democrats quickly pushed back on Hoffman’s revelation. Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Lela Alston issued a statement, writing, “Senator Jake Hoffman has once again shown his disregard for government and everyday Arizonans. By failing to schedule the confirmation hearings for the Governor’s nominees, he shows how ineffective and partisan the Republican party in Arizona truly is. I am disgusted by this move of extremism and call on his leadership to rectify his foolish actions.”
Another Senate Democrat leader, Caucus Whip Eva Burch, also weighed in on the Republicans’ action, saying, “Our job as elected officials is to serve the people of Arizona, not to engage in political sport to try to sabotage politicians we disagree with. The move to cancel all nominating committees is a disservice to the people who elected us to get these things done. Leaving our departments with uncertainty and without established leadership is irresponsible. It’s time to do our jobs and work together effectively and responsibly.”
Hobbs’ Friday news dump caught most Republicans by surprise but didn’t limit the outrage and resolve from pro-life officials and advocates over the weekend. Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma told AZ Free News that “the Governor cannot unilaterally divert statutory authority to prosecute criminal cases from Arizona’s 15 county attorneys to the Attorney General.” President Petersen opined that “this is another do-nothing executive order meant to pander to her liberal base and create unnecessary division on polarizing topics.” Center for Arizona Policy President, Cathi Herrod, asserted, “The law does not allow her to strip county attorneys of their clear enforcement authority as granted in various Arizona laws.”
Earlier this year, Republican leaders at the Arizona Legislature celebrated their “successful intervention(s) in cases to defend state laws and fight against federal overreach.” One of those cases was the SB 1457 (or Isaacson) litigation, where “a federal court granted Speaker Toma’s and President Petersen’s motion to intervene to defend a law that prohibits abortions based solely on a child’s genetic abnormality after Arizona Attorney General Mayes stated she would not defend the law.”
Hoffman’s decision to cancel Tuesday’s hearing will likely not be the last of the actions legislative Republicans could take to stand against Hobbs’ executive order.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
