Turns out former Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey made a corrupt deal on his way out the door
Today’s Republican Party is so corrupt that when a Democrat takes over a position previously held by a Republican, there’s an excellent chance the new administration will uncover serious wrongdoing. The latest example is playing out in Arizona, where Gov. Katie Hobbs just discovered something shady that her predecessor, Doug Ducey, pulled off quietly at the tail end of his term.
Hobbs announced her discovery that Ducey granted $50 million to the state’s Treasurer on his way out the door in an illegal attempt to misappropriate funds to private schools that were intended as an investment in public education. Calling it a “blatant disregard for public school students,” Hobbs announced that her policing of the Ducey administration “averted a violation of federal law and the State Constitution,” according to a release issued Thursday.
The $50 million was awarded to Arizona to fund all-day kindergarten through the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program under the American Rescue Plan Act, which requires the money to be used to “address disparities in educational outcomes that predate the pandemic.” Ducey’s transfer attempted to expand vouchers to pay for all-day private school kindergarten while Arizona only funds half-day kindergarten for public school students.
This is not the first time that Hobbs has had to identify and attempt to reverse her GOP predecessor’s actions since taking office this year. In February, Hobbs recalled $210 million in COVID relief grants that she claimed Ducey distributed illegally. These 19 grants were rushed out in the final three days of Ducey’s term, according to a report from 12News.
The Hobbs administration is now evaluating options for the legal use of the $50 million that Ducey misappropriated. Fortunately, Hobbs caught Ducey’s secret, last-minute illegal act before it was too late to fix. This is yet another real-life advertisement for why the United States needs fewer Republicans and more Democrats on all levels of government.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month