Hoffman Condemns 'Sickening' Cronyism Scandal Surrounding Katie Hobbs

Arizona Capitol

State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-15) condemned a recent scandal surrounding Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) in a post to X (formerly Twitter), which he described as "sickening."

The Arizona Republic explains the story: In 2022, Dana Allmond, a former U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, ran for State office but lost. Then, the newly elected Gov. Hobbs selected Allmond to head the Arizona Department of Veterans Affairs.

However, Gov. Hobbs withdrew Allmond as her nominee, only to place her instead as deputy director on the same $170,000 annual salary.

In January, the Governor transferred Allmond to the Department of Economic Security (DES) as a "senior executive consultant," ostensibly so she could connect veterans to services, even though DES Director Michael Wisehart had not hired her.

To make the transfer more glaring, Allmond's contract, along with that of her assistant, Marcus Trombetta ($114,000 per year), was recently renewed amidst layoffs as federal contracts dry up.

"Katie Hobbs' jaw-dropping nearly $600,000 handout of taxpayer money to a former Democrat politician and her assistant for newly invented jobs reeks of corruption," said State Sen. Hoffman on X, adding, "It's sickening that Hobbs continues to treat Arizona's government like her personal friends-and-family slush fund, doling out lavish six-figure salaries to political cronies."

"With Hobbs, it's clear when she's not entangled in pay-to-play schemes, she's plundering Arizonans' hard-earned dollars as if they're her own personal piggy bank," the State Senator added.

In late May, State Representative Alex Kolodin (R-3) presented evidence suggesting that Hobbs and Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes were secretly collaborating with the left-wing States United Democracy Center (SUDC) to target political opposition.

More egregiously, State Rep. Kolodin indicated that Hobbs and Mayes allowed SUDC to hide evidence of their relationship by destroying public records while supposedly acknowledging the illegality of the destruction.

"Governor Hobbs and Attorney General Mayes have betrayed Arizonans by allowing radical, dark-money activists to infiltrate and weaponize Arizona's government," said the State Representative, adding, "This corrupt collusion must be exposed. The people deserve answers, transparency, and immediate accountability."

Grayson Bakich

Florida born and raised, Grayson Bakich is a recent recipient of a Master’s Degree in Political Science at the University of Central Florida. His thesis examined recent trends in political polarization and how this leads into justification of violence.