Horne financing case sent to Yavapai County Attorney

In compliance with a Superior Court ruling, Secretary of State Ken Bennett, this week forward the Tom Horne campaign finance investigation to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. The Court ruled in May that said the proper procedure was for Bennett to send the case to Horne’s office.

The Secretary of State’s Office believes that there was reasonable cause to believe Horne and Kathleen Winn illegally coordinated independent expenditure spending. Solicitor General Robert Ellman then sent the case to Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk on June 27.

Judge John Rea found that the Secretary of State erred when he sent the Horne case directly to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. According to the Yellow Sheet, Bennett relied on a provision in Laws 2013, Chapter 209 (H2305: election revisions; violations) that allows him to send this case directly to Montgomery.

The Yellow Sheet reported that the Secretary of State’s spokesman said the case was transferred because Bennett wanted “to make sure it’s not looking like we’re playing games,” and added that the decision had “nothing to do” with Montgomery saying he didn’t want the case sent back to his office.

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