Newly uncovered records reveal Governor Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes secretively outsourced their governmental authority to a leftist organization in Washington, D.C.
That organization, States United Democracy Center (SUDC), provided legal counsel representation and advice for both Hobbs and Mayes’ offices.
Last winter, investigative reporting uncovered Mayes’ reliance on a plan from SUDC to prosecute President Donald Trump’s supporters. SUDC delivered the 50-page plan to the attorney general’s office in the summer of 2023.
Unfortunately for Mayes, a judge recently ruled she would have to redo her case against Trump’s 2020 electors for omitting key facts to the grand jury.
SUDC, formerly the Voter Protection Program, was featured prominently in mainstream media coverage following the 2020 election as the “shadow cabal” that ensured Trump’s loss that year. The organization has received tens of millions in dark money funding.
SUDC was founded in 2020 as a secretive campaign to defeat Trump by Norm Eisen, former President Barack Obama’s special counsel for ethics and government reform — media and the public dubbed him the “Ethics Czar.” Eisen was also a “critical” player in Trump’s first impeachment: he built the case against the president while serving as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee.
Of note, former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and former Governor Janet Napolitano both sit on SUDC’s advisory board currently.
SUDC’s first advisory board included the former Arizona attorney general Grant Woods (now deceased) and the former Phoenix Police Department chief of police Jeri Williams.
The recently uncovered records outlining SUDC’s involvement with Hobbs and Mayes also revealed Hobbs relied on SUDC to assist her in her work as secretary of state prior to taking on the governorship, hiring them three times over the course of two years.
As part of these agreements, SUDC advised Hobbs and Mayes they could destroy public records and were not obligated to yield their records in accordance with public records laws.
“When our representation of you concludes, we expect, in most cases, to retain only those materials which we would otherwise produce to you, as described above: communications with you or opposing counsel, pleadings that were filed on your behalf, and original documents received from you. Internal States United communications about your matter, internal administrative material related to your matter, research notes, and/or communications other than those with you or opposing counsel may be destroyed in our sole discretion and consistent with our document preservation policies. By executing this agreement, you agree to give up any right that may obligate us to retain materials beyond those set out above. […] You understand and agree that States United has not and is not providing you with advice about the interpretation of any applicable laws relating to what records may be required to be maintained as a result of applicable state or local law and that it is your responsibility to ensure that the provisions of this agreement comply with any obligations you may have under any such law or laws.”
State Representative Alexander Kolodin, who led the investigation that yielded the documents, issued a statement denouncing the alleged corruption.
“Governor Hobbs and Attorney General Mayes have betrayed Arizonans by allowing radical, dark-money activists to infiltrate and weaponize Arizona’s government,” said Kolodin. “This corrupt collusion must be exposed. The people deserve answers, transparency, and immediate accountability.”
Kolodin reported both Hobbs and Mayes have refused to produce further records on the matter of their relationship with SUDC.