EXCLUSIVE: Arizona Senate Has No Records of Gould’s Retention as Sunshine Investigation Stalls

One month after Arizona Senate Republicans announced that former state Supreme Court Justice Andrew Gould would lead their investigation into Gov. Katie Hobbs and Sunshine Residential Homes, the Senate says it has no records documenting Gould’s formal engagement or compensation. The investigation itself is on hold.

In response to an October 21 public-records request from Arizona Globe, Senate Associate Rules Attorney Pete Galvan confirmed that the chamber isn’t currently tracking Gould’s appointment, contract, compensation, invoices, or payments.

“There are currently no responsive records in the Senate’s custody as the relevant investigation is on hold,” Galvan wrote.

The Globe requested any agreements, appointment letters, contracts, compensation arrangements, payment authorizations, and other records relating to Gould’s work as special counsel.

Asked specifically whether this meant Gould’s announced appointment had never been formalized, Galvan reiterated his original response.

“A responsive record would match any of the criteria described in your request,” he wrote. “There are currently no responsive records in Senate custody.”

The absence of records doesn’t conclusively establish that the Senate never retained Gould or that he never performed any investigative work. It does, however, raise questions about what became of an investigation that Republican lawmakers initially presented as a major accountability effort.

On September 16, Sen. Jake Hoffman announced a Senate inquiry into allegations that Sunshine Residential, a state contractor providing housing for foster children, received preferential rate increases after making substantial political contributions benefiting Hobbs and Arizona Democrats.

Hoffman initially scheduled a September 29 hearing and announced subpoenas targeting Hobbs, Attorney General Kris Mayes, and other witnesses.

Five days later, amid questions about Hoffman’s financial ties to political efforts opposing Hobbs’ reelection, Senate Republicans transferred the investigation to the Appropriations Committee, chaired by Sen. David Farnsworth.

In a September 21 press release, Republicans announced Gould’s appointment as special counsel.

“The evidence will determine where this investigation leads,” Gould said in the announcement.

They subsequently canceled the initial hearing, and withdrew subpoenas were withdrawn. Farnsworth has since indicated that public proceedings won’t resume until after the November 3 election.

The investigation followed an earlier two-year inquiry by Attorney General Mayes, whose office announced in August that it had found insufficient evidence of a quid pro quo to support bribery charges against Hobbs. Republican lawmakers disputed the adequacy of that investigation and argued that it warranted further scrutiny.

The Globe contacted both Farnsworth and Gould this week seeking clarification about the investigation’s status, Gould’s formal retention, and the reasons for postponing proceedings. Neither had responded as of publication.

Galvan said the Senate has received several similar public-records requests and agreed to keep the Globe’s request open in case responsive documents become available.

For now, the Senate’s investigation remains suspended, with no publicly established timetable for resuming proceedings and no records in Senate custody documenting the formal retention or payment of the investigator Republicans announced one month ago.