An Arizona House oversight committee is recommending the impeachment of Attorney General Kris Mayes on the grounds that she abused her power, neglected legal duties, and “committed malfeasance in office.”
“The people of Arizona deserve better from the state’s chief legal officer,” committee chairwoman, Rep. Jacqueline Parker (R), said in a written statement on May 29.
“I am deeply frustrated and disappointed by Attorney Mayes’ lack of cooperation with our requests for more information and records concerning the many allegations that came to the committee’s attention.”
Ms. Mayes, a Democrat, was elected by a razor-thin margin over her Republican opponent, Abe Hamadeh, in the 2022 midterm election.
In the report, the committee listed six critical findings—namely, that Ms. Mayes “unjustifiably threatened” the Mohave County Board of Supervisors with criminal and civil penalties “if they voted against her wishes.”
The report cited the attorney general as abusing the legal system to attack her political opponents, abusing her authority by issuing a consumer fraud alert against women’s health organizations that did not provide abortions, and refusing to uphold state laws that defended women’s sports against male incursion.
In her statement, Ms. Parker said she was “disappointed” in her Democrat colleagues, who did not participate in the investigation “whatsoever or learn about the proper role of the attorney general under our state constitution.
“Despite the attorney general’s lack of transparency with the committee, we have seen and heard enough,” Ms. Parker said.
The report includes a letter from Ms. Mayes to the Mohave County Board of Supervisors warning against conducting a hand ballot count in the 2024 election.
“Before you take that vote, I want to make sure you know that a ‘yes’ vote would direct your Elections Department to violate the law,” Ms. Mayes wrote in the Nov. 19, 2023, letter to the board.
“As Arizona’s chief law enforcement officer, I have an obligation to warn you that the legal consequences would be serious,” she added.
The committee’s investigative report said that after receiving the attorney general’s unsolicited letter, the board voted 3–2 not to count the 2024 election ballots by hand.
“Mohave County Supervisor Ron Gould testified to the committee that the deciding vote by the board chair ‘was influenced by the letter that was written by the attorney general threatening to arrest us for doing something that was perfectly legal,” the report stated.
The ad-hoc oversight committee said the attorney general “does not have the authority to declare existing law or to threaten public officials with criminal or civil penalties if they vote against her wishes.
“The committees find that the [attorney general] abused her power and committed malfeasance in office.”
The report also alleges that Ms. Mayes abused her power by using the legal system to attack her political opponents through “ law-fare” and by making “irrelevant and inflammatory accusations” against them.
In March 2023, Ms. Mayes filed a lawsuit against Cochise County and its Board of Supervisors. Two of them now face felony charges for allegedly interfering in the 2022 midterm election by attempting to delay the vote’s certification.
According to the report, a judge found that the attorney general filed court documents containing “irrelevant allegations” in seeking a preliminary injunction.
“Attorney General Mayes’ irrelevant allegations included, for example, the [Board of Supervisors’] other actions” in connection with the 2022 election.
The report said these allegations are now the “centerpiece” of the attorney general’s “political prosecution” of Cochise County Supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd, both Republicans.
In the report, the committee also found that Ms. Mayes “personally attacked” Cochise County Recorder David Stevens in court filings after the board agreed to turn over its election responsibilities to the recorder.
The attorney general argued that the agreement violated state law. However, the judge ruled the agreement was lawful and did not “cross the line,” as the attorney general had asserted in court filings.
“It is the committee’s understanding that this type of agreement between the board and the Cochise County Recorder is relatively common,” the committee wrote.
“However, Attorney General Mayes did not file any similar lawsuits against any other county board of supervisors.”
The committee wrote that Ms. Mayes abused her power to attack Mr. Stevens by seeking to “paint a picture of Mr. Stevens as someone who cannot be trusted” with his election responsibilities.
In the report, the committee alleges Ms. Mayes issued a consumer alert “maligning” Arizona Crisis Pregnancy Centers that do not provide abortion services.
The committee said the consumer alert was “filled with deception, fraud, and misrepresentations” by the attorney general without any evidence to support her claims.
The committee wrote that Attorney General Mayes “abused her power by issuing an alert that runs contrary to the Consumer Fraud Act because it contains deception, fraud, and misrepresentations and was not in response to any Arizona health care provider ‘about to engage in’ any of the activity identified in the consumer alert.”
“The committee also finds that Attorney General Mayes neglected to respond to open records requests from the committee chair and vice-chair.”
The report said Ms. Mayes also abused her power by using public resources in an “attempt to influence an election.”
Specifically, the attorney general at town halls in February and March 2024 announced her interest in filing “nuisance lawsuits” against Arizona farmers based on their water use or bringing the issue to a ballot vote.
“The committee finds that Attorney General Mayes abused her power by using public resources to attempt to influence an election proposing action—filing a lawsuit or referring the measure to the ballot—the Attorney General does not have the authority to take,” according to the report.
Through its investigation, the committee found that the attorney general had neglected her duty to defend state law while citing the Save Women’s Sports Act” of 2022, which prohibits biological men from playing on women’s sports teams.
The committee found that Attorney General Mayes “neglected her duty by failing to defend state laws,” and further that she neglected her duty to respond to information requests from the committee chairman and vice-chairman.
“After the committee held hearings, sought documents and testimony from Attorney General Mayes, reviewed the few documents Attorney General Mayes produced, and began preparing this report, the committee continued to receive additional allegations relating to Attorney General Mayes,” the committee wrote.
“The committee is concerned by these allegations,” including her decision not to seek a warrant of execution against Aaron Brian Gunches, 52, convicted of the 2002 first-degree murder of Ted Price.
Based on its “thorough investigation” of the evidence, the committee has found that Ms. Mayes committed “impeachable offenses” and recommended adopting a resolution calling for her impeachment by an appointed board of managers at a Senate trial.
The committee said it has shared the report with Speaker Ben Toma (R) for distribution to the full House.
“I hope all House members will thoroughly review the committee’s report and findings and agree to impact Attorney General Mayes and consider other measures outlined in our report to prevent full weaponization of the AG’s office,” Ms. Parker wrote.
The Epoch Times contacted Attorney General Mayes’ office for comment but has yet to receive a response.
