Politics
WATCH: Democrat Governor Forced To Admit She’s Under Investigation On Live TV
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, conceded during a live television interview that she is under investigation in connection with an alleged pay-for-play scheme.
Allegations against Hobbs first surfaced in 2024, when Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, also a Democrat, opened an investigation.
The allegations center on home operator that works with the Arizona Department of Child Safety, which had received a massive boost in state funding while pay increases to other providers have been denied. All in all, the Arizona Department of Child Safety had approved what amounts to a 60 percent increase in the rate that Sunshine Residential Homes Inc. charges to care for a child for a day.
Sunshine Residential Homes donated roughly $400,000 to Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Democratic Party between 2022 and 2023 despite having no history of political donations. The company’s CEO, Simon Kottoor, was also on Hobbs’ inaugural committee, while Hobbs praised the company while campaigning for governor.
Governor Katie Hobbs speaking with attendees at the 2024 Legislative Forecast Luncheon hosted by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona
Photo: Gage Skidmore
Mayes opened a criminal investigation into the allegations in June 2024 at the behest of Republican State Senator T.J. Shope, who asked the attorney general to investigate a potential “pay for play” scheme.
“The Criminal Division of the Attorney General’s Office is statutorily authorized to investigate the allegations and offenses outlined in your letter,” Mayes’ office wrote in a letter to Shope. “To that end, the Attorney General’s Office will be opening an investigation.”
In addition to the criminal investigation, the Republican-controlled Arizona legislature opened its own inquiry this past November, when House Speaker Steve Montenegro formed an advisory team of Republican lawmakers to investigate the allegations.
Hobbs was asked about the escalating investigations during a recent interview with KPNX. “Have any of Kris Mayes’ investigators talked to you?” the governor was asked.
She answered by stating that they had not, at which point the governor was asked whether any of her staff members have been interviewed. “Yes, they have. So that investigation is ongoing,” the governor replied.
Hobbs, who is seeking re-election in 2026, has previously dismissed the House inquiry as a “shameless stunt” enacted by “extremist legislators,” adding that she expects to be cleared.
