Rep. Hamadeh Calls for Bondi Probe of 'Rogue' Dem AGs

Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., demanded that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi open a federal investigation into what he described as a "bribery and prosecutorial misconduct scheme" involving the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA).

He cited court filings and financial records that he said raise serious constitutional concerns.

Hamadeh said in a press release that "many of [his] constituents have been directly harmed by these alleged abuses, including grandmothers, prominent business owners, and activists who simply exercised their First Amendment rights." 

He said the allegations outlined in court filings show "a coordinated effort by partisan organizations to influence criminal prosecutions through financial payments to state attorneys general."

Hamadeh emphasized his alarm in the release, stating: "Many of the individuals involved in this scheme have engaged in highly questionable activity, and as I wrote in my letter to Attorney General Bondi, their rogue and unethical conduct is not isolated to Arizona." 

He added, "As a former prosecutor, it is unimaginable to me that these officers of the court allegedly conspired to deny citizens their fundamental constitutional rights. Yet, it appears that is exactly what happened."

In his letter to Bondi, Hamadeh cited court records showing that Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes "received $200,000 from DAGA in two payments — $50,000 shortly after hiring SUDC in May 2023, and $150,000 immediately following the announcement of indictments in April 2024." 

He wrote that "the timing of these payments raises significant concerns about quid pro quo arrangements."

Hamadeh also noted in his letter that the Arizona Attorney General's Office "claims an attorney-client relationship with SUDC, effectively granting a politically aligned nonprofit organization control over a criminal prosecution," a structure he wrote that "appears to violate fundamental principles of prosecutorial independence and due process."

He further detailed evidence from tax filings, writing that SUDC "shares the same address, leadership, and bank accounts with the Progressive State Leadership Committee, which in turn claims to be an 'initiative of' DAGA." 

He wrote that this setup "appears designed to obscure the flow of money and coordination between a partisan political organization and state law enforcement." 

Hamadeh's letter also pointed to the documented misconduct of SUDC's co-founder, writing that "Marc Elias … was sanctioned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in March 2021 for 'redundant and misleading' conduct and lack of candor with the Court." 

He concluded his letter by warning that "the allegations outlined above, if substantiated, represent a fundamental corruption of prosecutorial independence and the rule of law." 

Hamadeh added in the release that the allegations "warrant an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice."