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Arizona Attorney General Declines to Charge Governor Katie Hobbs in Pay-to-Play Allegations

Arizona Attorney General Declines to Charge Governor Katie Hobbs in Pay-to-Play Allegations

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has announced that state prosecutors will not file criminal charges against Governor Katie Hobbs regarding allegations of a pay-to-play scheme. The accusations stemmed from claims that Governor Hobbs provided preferential treatment to Sunshine Residential Homes, a group home company, after it contributed $100,000 to her inaugural celebration and additional funds to the Arizona Democratic Party. The Arizona Republic initially reported that Sunshine Residential Homes and one other company received a 30% payment increase during the 2022-2023 contracting period. Governor Hobbs has denied any wrongdoing, stating she was not involved in the decision to grant the rate increase. Attorney General Mayes, a Democrat like Governor Hobbs, stated that the investigation did not uncover evidence of the necessary quid pro quo to support a bribery charge. However, Mayes noted that the investigation highlighted a need for legislative reform concerning the transparency of political donation...
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Arizona Attorney General's Office Clears Governor Katie Hobbs in 'Pay-to-Play' Investigation

Arizona Attorney General's Office Clears Governor Katie Hobbs in 'Pay-to-Play' Investigation

After a two-year investigation, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced on Friday that it found insufficient evidence to prosecute Governor Katie Hobbs or Sunshine Residential Homes regarding allegations of a 'pay-to-play' scheme. The investigation, which involved multiple interviews, reviews of campaign-finance records, procurement records, bank documents, and state emails and chats totaling over one terabyte of data, concluded that there was no reasonable likelihood of convicting Hobbs, the group home operator, or anyone else involved of bribery or related crimes. Governor Hobbs consistently maintained her innocence throughout the probe, stating that neither she nor her office influenced the Department of Child Services' decision to approve a 30% rate increase for Sunshine Residential Homes in 2023. The case may remain technically open to allow the Attorney General’s Office to assist with a separate investigation by the Arizona Auditor General’s Office.
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Rep. Paul Gosar Declines to Participate in Arizona Congressional District 9 Debate

Rep. Paul Gosar Declines to Participate in Arizona Congressional District 9 Debate

Rep. Paul Gosar, a Republican representing Arizona, has not responded to an invitation to participate in the Congressional District 9 debate. The debate is scheduled for Thursday, August 27, at 4 p.m. and is organized by the Arizona Media Association in collaboration with the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission. His Democratic opponent, Danielle “Dani” Sterbinsky, is confirmed to participate. This non-participation is part of a broader trend where several candidates for various congressional and statewide races in Arizona have also not responded to debate invitations. For instance, Republican Eli Crane for Congressional District 2, Democrat Yassamin Ansari for Congressional District 3, Democrat Greg Stanton for Congressional District 4, and Republican Mark Lamb for Congressional District 5 have also not confirmed their attendance for their respective debates. Similarly, Republican Abraham “Abe” Hamadeh for Congressional District 8 and Republican Ralph Heap for the Corporation Commission have not re...
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Arizona Attorney General Declines to Charge Governor Hobbs in Pay-to-Play Allegations

Arizona Attorney General Declines to Charge Governor Hobbs in Pay-to-Play Allegations

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has announced that state prosecutors will not file criminal charges against Governor Katie Hobbs regarding allegations of a pay-to-play scheme. The accusations stemmed from claims that Governor Hobbs provided preferential treatment to Sunshine Residential Homes, a group home company, after it contributed $100,000 to her inaugural celebration. The Arizona Republic reported that Sunshine Residential Homes received a 30% payment increase from the state, making it one of only two companies to receive such an increase during the 2022-2023 contracting period. Governor Hobbs has consistently denied any wrongdoing, stating she was not involved in the decision-making process for the rate increase. Attorney General Mayes, a Democrat like Governor Hobbs, stated that the investigation did not uncover sufficient evidence of a 'quid pro quo' to support a bribery charge. However, Mayes emphasized the need for legislative reform to enhance transparency regarding political donations from...
Arizona Republic Arizona Republic
Read Kris Mayes' findings in probe of Gov. Katie Hobbs

Read Kris Mayes' findings in probe of Gov. Katie Hobbs

Attorney General Kris Mayes announced the findings on Aug. 21, more than two years after beginning a criminal investigation of Gov. Katie Hobbs.
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Arizona AG Declines Criminal Charges Against Governor Hobbs in 'Pay-to-Play' Allegations

Arizona AG Declines Criminal Charges Against Governor Hobbs in 'Pay-to-Play' Allegations

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has announced that her office will not file criminal charges against Governor Katie Hobbs following allegations of a 'pay-to-play' scheme. The investigation centered on claims that Hobbs provided preferential treatment to Sunshine Residential Homes, a group home company, after it made significant financial contributions to her campaign and the state Democratic Party. Sunshine donated $200,000 to the state Democratic party before Hobbs' November 2022 election, and an additional $100,000 to her inaugural fund and another $100,000 to the party after her victory. The company subsequently received a 30% rate increase from the state, raising its rate from $149 to $195 per bed, with only Sunshine and one other company receiving increases during the 2022-2023 contracting period. Governor Hobbs has denied any wrongdoing, stating she was not involved in the decision to grant the increase. The Attorney General's office concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support a bri...
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Arizona attorney general declines to charge Gov. Katie Hobbs over pay-to-play allegations

Arizona attorney general declines to charge Gov. Katie Hobbs over pay-to-play allegations

State prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs over allegations that she took part in a pay-to-play scheme with a group home company
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Justice Department's Election Monitoring Plan Raises Concerns Among State Officials

Justice Department's Election Monitoring Plan Raises Concerns Among State Officials

The Justice Department (DoJ) under President Trump has announced plans to deploy 1,000 election monitors for the upcoming November midterm elections, aiming for the largest monitoring effort in the department's history. This initiative has been met with skepticism from former officials and voting rights experts regarding its feasibility and potential impact. The DoJ has previously taken an adversarial stance, suing some states to access private voter data, leading to concerns among state election officials who feel the federal government is not a partner in protecting elections. President Trump has expressed a desire for federal control over elections, though courts have largely limited these efforts. While federal election monitoring is a routine practice, the scale and context of this announcement have caused unease. In past elections, monitors have generally been described as unobtrusive, with state officials in Minnesota, California, and Arizona reporting no major disruptions from federal monitors in r...
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Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs Cleared of Criminal Charges in Alleged Pay-to-Play Scheme

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs Cleared of Criminal Charges in Alleged Pay-to-Play Scheme

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs will not face criminal charges following a two-year investigation into allegations of a pay-to-play scheme. State Attorney General Kris Mayes announced on Friday that the investigation found insufficient evidence to support bribery charges. The probe centered on Sunshine Residential Homes, a company that contributed to Governor Hobbs’ inaugural fund and the Arizona Democratic Party. These contributions preceded an increase in the company's state payment rate. Governor Hobbs, a Democrat, has consistently denied any wrongdoing, stating she was not involved in the decision-making process regarding the rate increase. The investigation, which began in June 2024 at the request of Republican state Senator T.J. Shope, involved extensive review of financial records, emails, and interviews.
Arizona Republic Arizona Republic
South Phoenix lawmakers demand answers on violent traffic stop

South Phoenix lawmakers demand answers on violent traffic stop

Arizona lawmakers sent a letter to city officials demanding answers over a controversial traffic stop that has landed Phoenix police in hot water.
Arizona Republic Arizona Republic
Hobbs warns about threats to voter power but defends Axon exception

Hobbs warns about threats to voter power but defends Axon exception

Gov. Katie Hobbs said as a lawmaker she opposed efforts to curtail voters' ability to put questions on the ballot. As governor, her record is mixed.
Arizona Republic Arizona Republic
Company bets it can strike it rich from copper in Arizona wastewater

Company bets it can strike it rich from copper in Arizona wastewater

Driven by electrification, data centers and semiconductors, copper surged in price earlier this year. This company says some sources are overlooked.