Arizona Republicans Want More Than A Closed File
Arizona Republican lawmakers are pressing for a deeper review of Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs after Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes declined to bring charges in a potential pay-to-play matter involving Hobbs, the Democratic Party, and state contract decisions. The investigation centered on large donations tied to Sunshine Residential Homes, including $400,000 given to the Democratic Party and a dark-money group used for Hobbs’ inaugural events. The concern raised by critics is simple enough for taxpayers to understand without a legal dictionary: did political giving help open the door to favorable treatment from the state? Mayes closed her two-year investigation last month without charging Hobbs, even though Hobbs did not sit for an interview with investigators and instead submitted written statements through her attorneys. That may satisfy the political class, but for a lot of Arizonans, it sounds like the kind of government cleanup where the mop never leaves the closet.
Witness Statements Raise More Questions
According to the source report, people who did speak with investigators told the Attorney General’s Office that Sunshine Residential Homes founder Simon Kottoor attempted to coerce employees. Former Department of Child Safety Deputy Director Shalom Jacobs said, “Based on my experience and the information available to me at the time, I did not believe there was a justification for approving an out-of-cycle, special rate increase for Sunshine Residential in May 2023.” Jacobs also corroborated former DCS Director Mike Faust’s claims that he was offered a bribe to approve a rate increase for the company’s group homes. Yet the report says neither Faust’s nor Jacobs’ statements were included in the Attorney General’s final report. That omission is exactly why Republican lawmakers are not ready to move along quietly, no matter how much the usual suspects would prefer everyone pretend this was just another paperwork hiccup.
Shope Presses Mayes On Pay-To-Play Reforms
Arizona Senate President Pro Tempore T.J. Shope responded by demanding that Mayes publicly support legislation requiring companies seeking or holding state contracts and certain grants to disclose political donations. He also wants state agencies required to preserve records used to evaluate contract proposals. Hobbs previously vetoed two bills containing those provisions. Shope said, “For two years, Kris Mayes had every opportunity to support meaningful pay-to-play reforms, and she chose silence,” adding that Mayes waited until the Legislature had adjourned for the year to admit reforms were needed. “That’s not leadership. It’s political damage control,” he said. The press release also noted that a separate investigation by the Arizona Auditor General, assisted by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, remains open, along with an independent investigation commissioned by the Arizona House.
Lawmakers Say No Charges Do Not End The Matter
State Senator David Farnsworth said during a Wednesday press conference that the lack of criminal charges does not settle the broader public interest questions. “The absence of criminal charges does not answer whether taxpayer money was wasted, whether financial safeguards failed, or whether the process was fair,” Farnsworth argued. That is the heart of the issue. Criminal prosecution is one thing, but public trust is another. Internal DCS communications reported during the controversy acknowledged Sunshine’s political connections and discussed keeping its special rate increase quiet from competitors. If a company with political ties received special treatment, taxpayers deserve to know whether the system protected them or protected insiders. Sunshine may say the matter is settled, and Hobbs may say she has been cleared, but the open reviews show the story is not finished.
Hobbs And Sunshine Push Back
Hobbs’ office blasted the renewed scrutiny as campaign-season politics, saying, “With just 35 days until voting starts, it’s no surprise partisan extremists are launching desperate political stunts.” Her office also said, “As has been made abundantly clear multiple times by public reporting and the Attorney General’s report, there was no wrongdoing by Gov. Hobbs, the Governor’s Office, or the Hobbs campaign.” Sunshine Residential Homes also denied the claim, stating, “We understand this is a campaign season, and we respect that reasonable people can debate state contracting policy, as they should. What we will not do is let an unproven, recently fabricated false claim overshadow the evidence-based finding of a two-year investigation.” Fair enough, everyone gets to make their case. But when big political donations, state contracts, special rate increases, and missing witness statements all land in the same pile, lawmakers asking for more sunlight are not the radicals in the room.
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