Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said she expects to finish before Election Day a criminal investigation probing ties between Gov. Katie Hobbs' administration and a state contractor that donated $400,000to
benefit Hobbs and Democrats.
Mayes wouldn't say Aug. 3 if the investigation would include an interview with the governor.
"I feel confident that we're going to get the information that we need to conclude the investigation," Mayes said following a news conference about a lawsuit over new federal tariffs.
She also hinted Hobbs might never sit for an interview in the case, which centers on an allegation that Hobbs approved a special rate hike for a group home operator that donated to her 2023 inaugural fund and the Arizona Democratic Party.
Mayes said in April her investigators wanted to interview Hobbs and been trying to do so because talking to Hobbs "was appropriate" to make sure the probe was "thorough and complete."
Asked if Hobbs was "blowing off" the requested interview, Mayes said "you cannot blow off the Attorney General's Office. So, full stop, no one can, regardless of who they are."
But when asked if Hobbs would do the interview before the election, or at all, Mayes declined comment.
Mayes and Hobbs both face Republican challengers in the coming election.
Hobbs' spokesperson, Christian Slater, said the governor's office wouldn't comment directly on Mayes' announcement. He referred The Arizona Republic to his previous statements about the case, which included a denial by Hobbs' former Department of Child Safety director that the governor was involved.
Slater told The Republic in April that "not once has there been any evidence that the Governor was involved in the decisions" about the group-home contract. He also declined comment at that time when asked if Hobbs would submit to an interview.
State probes still active
The Republic reported on the group home donation and rate hike in June 2024, showing through public records how Sunshine Residential Homes gave Hobbs' campaign about $400,000 and became the only group home to receive approval for a rate hike at the time.
Republican Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell the state Auditor General, and Arizona House Republicans are also conducting inquiries.
State Senate President Warren Petersen, who won the Republican primary for the attorney general race last month, told The Republic in a text that Mayes' announcement about the case "continues to show AZ it is all about politics. She could have finished this a long time ago but times it to be right before the election. Justice should be blind."
Sunshine Residential Homes is one of the state's largest providers of group homes for children.
Records obtained by The Republic showed state staff considered the company's support of Hobbs before recommending the higher pay for Sunshine Residential, which amounted to about a $4 million increase a year.
Mayes launched the probe at the request of Republican Sen. T.J. Shope of Coolidge, who asked her to look into the potential "pay-to-play" scheme. In his request, Shope named specific crimes, including bribery, fraud and contract law violations, that he believed could be implicated.
Reach the reporter at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern.
Reporting by Stacey Barchenger contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mayes expects Hobbs-Sunshine Residential probe done before election
