Five Republican committee members on a special House panel initiated impeachment proceedings against Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes on Friday. The lawmakers accused her of abuse of power, neglect of duties, and malfeasance in office.
State Representative Jacqueline Parker (R-Mesa) (pictured above, foreground), who chairs the panel, announced the release of a 102-page report detailing these allegations, which has stirred significant political controversy.
The impeachment report accuses Mayes (pictured above, background) of several impeachable offenses, including:
Political Prosecutions: The committee found that Mayes targeted Cochise County Supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd with felony charges for their actions during the 2022 election certification process. The supervisors delayed certification, citing concerns over election integrity. The committee argued that Mayes used her position to pursue politically motivated charges against Crosby and Judd, who faced felony accusations for allegedly interfering with the election process. The committee held that this prosecution was an overreach by Mayes, intended to intimidate political opponents and undermine their actions concerning election integrity.
Consumer Alerts: The committee claimed that Mayes issued a consumer fraud alert against crisis pregnancy centers filled with deception and lacking evidential support. The alert, which targeted centers that do not provide abortion services, allegedly misrepresented their practices and accused them of fraudulent behavior without sufficient evidence. The committee’s report suggested that Mayes’ actions were politically motivated and intended to malign these centers, which are often supported by pro-life advocates.
Election Law Interference: The committee criticized Mayes for her threats against county officials who sought to conduct hand ballot counts. The report argued that Mayes overstepped her authority and misused her office by sending a letter to the Mohave County Board of Supervisors warning them that voting to conduct a hand count of ballots would result in legal consequences. The committee viewed this as an attempt to intimidate local officials and prevent them from pursuing what they believed to be a legal and transparent method of vote counting.
Neglecting Legal Duties: The committee accused Mayes of refusing to defend state laws such as the Save Women’s Sports Act, which prohibits biological males from participating in female sports. Additionally, the report highlighted Mayes’ failure to adequately respond to requests for information from the committee. This neglect, the report suggested, indicated a disregard for her responsibilities as Attorney General and a failure to uphold laws passed by the state legislature. The committee also pointed out instances where Mayes allegedly used public resources to influence elections and neglected her duty to pursue a warrant of execution in a high-profile murder case.
The committee’s investigation highlighted Mayes’ use of legal resources to target political opponents, described as “law-fare.” Mayes has dismissed the report as a partisan attack by “radical Republicans aimed at undermining her work.” Democrats assigned to the committee refused to participate. Mayes spokesperson said, “The investigative report released today by the sham House ad hoc oversight committee isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. This partisan stunt by far-right members of the Legislature makes a mockery of real legislative oversight.”
Parker said, “The people of Arizona deserve better from the state’s chief legal officer. … I hope all House members will thoroughly review the Committee’s report and findings and agree to impeach Attorney General Mayes…”.
State Representative Alexander Kolodin (R-Chandler) said, “It is my solemn opinion that Mayes must be impeached and removed from office to protect the rights and liberties of all Arizonans.”
The Arizona Sun Times reached out to State Speaker of the House Ben Toma’s (R-27) representative but did not receive a response. On X (formerly Twitter), State Senator Anthony Kern (R-27), appealed for Toma to bring the resolution up for a house vote.
Abe Hamadeh, who narrowly lost to Attorney General Mayes, and who’s case remains under litigation in the courts, applauded the move to hold the “illegitimate” official accountable.
“However,” a Hamadeh spox noted, “impeachment would not be necessary if the courts followed the law, granted Abe Hamadeh a new trial, counted the remaining 9,000 uncounted ballots, and removed the usurper from office because the people did not elect her.”
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Christy Kelly is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Christy on Twitter / X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “State Rep. Jacqueline Parker” by Jacqueline Parker and “A.G. Kris Mayes” is by A.G. Kris Mayes.
