State Representative David Livingston (R-Peoria) filed an official complaint on Wednesday with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office requesting that it investigate and determine whether Governor Katie Hobbs used state resources to influence elections.
🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE🚨
State Representative David @Livingston4AZ Files Complaint with Attorney General Mayes Requesting Investigation of Governor Hobbs’ Use of State Resources to Influence Elections.DETAILS👉 https://t.co/AKdnkz1HeZ
FULL COMPLAINT: https://t.co/TOcS2IKvBV… pic.twitter.com/uOU1mdVWDP
— Arizona House Republicans (@AZHouseGOP) June 14, 2023
Before this week’s complaint, Livingston (pictured above) sent seven letters to Hobbs’s office requesting information on where the governor placed funds for 2023 inauguration events, alleging that Hobbs had not been entirely transparent with who donated to her inauguration fund.
In addition, Livingston previously requested a legal opinion from Attorney General Kris Mayes, seeking guidance about whether Arizona law, under Title 16, allows a governor-elect to “fundraise for political entities that make expenditures to influence elections through a state website promoting inaugural events.”
Livingston filed this week’s complaint as a result of Mayes declining to provide a legal opinion to his previous inquiry – stating there were “factual questions that made the issue inappropriate for a legal opinion.”
“State law prohibits using public resources, including websites, to influence elections,” Livingston said in a statement. “As the Attorney General has already acknowledged, there are unanswered factual questions here that warrant an immediate and thorough investigation. If Governor Hobbs had simply transferred the leftover funds to the state protocol account like former Governors have done, it would not be necessary to file my complaint. But the Governor’s unprecedented actions and refusal to provide information to me about where the funds went, who controls the funds, and how the funds will be spent left me with no choice.”
Livingston added, “As the state’s chief legal officer charged with investigating potential violations of Title 16, the Attorney General must scrutinize these transactions and seek judicial relief if necessary to remedy past violations and prevent future violations of state law.”
Livingston is not alone in his request for answers regarding Hobbs’ use of funds. The Republican-led state legislature has been sending letters to Hobbs regarding her inaugural funds since January.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network.
Background Photo “Arizona Capitol’ by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
