Rachel Mitchell has been sworn in as Maricopa County’s interim top prosecutor after the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday to appoint her.
Mitchell will do the job at least until the November election.
Hear Bill Gates, Ben Giles discuss the county attorney's race with hosts Steve Goldstein and Lauren Gilger on The Show
The board chose Mitchell from a list of three GOP candidates running in the August primary. She brings decades of experience in all levels of the County Attorney’s Office. Mitchell was among five division chiefs who publicly called for Allister Adel to resign amid allegations of drinking on the job and missing work.
“The County Attorney’s Office is what I would consider to be in disarray. And it needs a lot of help and it needs a lot of restoration immediately,” said Supervisor Thomas Galvin, after voting to appoint Mitchell.
Mitchell has promised to rebuild public trust in the County Attorney’s Office.
In 2018, she was chosen to question then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman accusing him of sexual assault.
Board Chairman Bill Gates said Mitchell is the right person to make tough decisions.
“She knows that office. She knows that there are problems over there. But she can right the ship while running for Maricopa County Attorney,” he said.
The ACLU of Arizona criticized the Board’s appointment process, and urged Mitchell to focus on reform over campaigning in the coming months.
