Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs faces allegations she favored a state contractor who donated to her campaign. There’s disagreement about who should lead an investigation into whether Hobbs broke any laws.
State Sen. T.J. Shope (R-Coolidge) asked both Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes and Republican Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell to investigate.
Mayes asked Mitchell not to conduct a parallel investigation. She says a separate process on the same topic could “jeopardize the integrity of the investigation.”
A spokesperson for Mayes said Monday that the office has received no response from Mitchell.
Republican Treasurer Kimberly Yee reached out to both offices Monday and asked Mayes to defer to Mitchell.
A spokesperson for Mitchell said Monday that she is still reviewing the requests from Mayes and Yee.
Yee told Mayes that as the attorney general, she has a potential conflict of interest, having relationships with the officials who may be involved and representing state agencies.
“I respectfully request that you consider transferring your investigation to either County Attorney Mitchell or an independent county attorney for review and potential action. In fact, that is the only action that will ensure the integrity of the investigation and avoid the duplication of efforts you raise as a concern in asserting sole jurisdiction,” Yee wrote.
Yee is the highest-ranking statewide Republican official in Arizona.
Some Republican lawmakers in the Arizona House of Representatives are calling for Mayes to be impeached for allegedly abusing her power against Republicans.
But Shope said he has to believe Mayes and the many attorneys in her office will do the best job they can.
Yee said in a statement that she's concerned for other reasons.
“I do not base my concerns related to a conflict of interest on political affiliation. Our state has a long history of elected leaders holding other leaders accountable regardless of party affiliation,” she said.
Instead, Yee said, the conflict of interest and concerns about relationships stem from the Attorney General’s Office's history of representing the governor’s interests, and the interests of state agencies.
“A firewall or other mechanism that the attorney general may want to institute does not alleviate these ethical issues. Even if they did, the appearance of impropriety or lack of independence are concerning to this serious public matter. We need to ensure that the public has confidence in the process,” Yee added.
