Hamadeh Calls for Probe of AG Mayes over $200K Payday

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is now at the center of a national controversy as Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-CD8) formally requests that the U.S. Department of Justice open a federal investigation into what he calls a “coordinated bribery and prosecutorial misconduct scheme” involving Mayes, the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA), and the States United Democracy Center (SUDC).

Hamadeh delivered his request in a detailed, heavily sourced letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, citing court documents from the ongoing prosecution of Arizona’s 2020 alternate electors. His letter links political money, nonprofit legal operatives, and Arizona’s top law enforcement office in ways that may violate core standards of prosecutorial independence.

“Criminal prosecutions must be based on evidence and law, not influenced by financial payments from partisan political organizations,” Hamadeh wrote. “This arrangement threatens the fundamental Constitutional protections that every American should expect.” He warned that the allegations, if proven true, “represent a fundamental corruption of prosecutorial independence and the rule of law.”

Central to Hamadeh’s request is the revelation, documented in court records, that DAGA paid Mayes’ political operation $200K during key stages of the criminal case involving the Trump electors.

According to filings:

• $50,000 was paid shortly after Mayes hired SUDC in May 2023
• $150,000 was paid just after indictments were announced in April 2024

Hamadeh told DOJ that the timing “raises significant concerns about quid-pro-quo arrangements,” adding, “My constituents deserve confidence that law enforcement decisions affecting their rights are made impartially, not influenced by partisan Democrat-affiliated organizations.”

These financial transfers were disclosed by defendant Christina Bobb, who filed a motion seeking the disqualification of Mayes from the case.

Hamadeh cites what he calls an “unprecedented attorney-client relationship” between the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and SUDC — a politically aligned nonprofit deeply tied to Democratic legal activists.

Court filings show that Mayes’ office:

• Asserted attorney-client privilege with SUDC
• Signed legal engagement letters with SUDC
• Refused disclosures because SUDC was considered part of the prosecution team

Hamadeh told DOJ this structure “appears to violate fundamental principles of prosecutorial independence and due process.”

Hamadeh’s letter also highlights tax filings linking SUDC to the Progressive State Leaders Committee — an entity that uses the same address, president, executive director, and leadership as DAGA.

“This organizational structure appears designed to obscure the flow of money and coordination between a partisan political organization and state law enforcement,” Hamadeh wrote.

He argues the structure resembles “a coordinated political-legal pipeline” rather than independent professional conduct. Hamadeh’s letter directly implicates the involvement of SUDC co-founder Marc Elias, citing his prior sanctions from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for “redundant and misleading” conduct. He wrote that Elias’ documented ethics violations raise “serious questions about SUDC’s role in prosecutions across multiple states.”

Hamadeh contends Arizona is not isolated, citing a Michigan case where the courts dismissed charges tied to similar politically aligned legal efforts, with one judge ruling that prosecutors had no evidence of criminal intent and that the defendants were exercising constitutional rights.

Hamadeh wrote, “This disturbing pattern suggests a coordinated strategy rather than independent law enforcement decisions based on evidence.”

Rep. Hamadeh’s letter demands clarity on five specific areas:

1. Whether DOJ is already investigating DAGA-AG relationships
2. Whether similar financial arrangements exist in other states
3. What due-process protections are the DOJ ensuring for defendants
4. Whether tax filings and banking records have been reviewed to trace money flows
5. The expected timeline for the investigation and public findings

Hamadeh now becomes the highest-ranking Arizona Republican to call for a federal investigation of Kris Mayes formally. His letter reflects growing concerns voiced by defendants, attorneys, and state officials as the Bobb and Ward cases continue to expose internal communications and financial records. The allegations have once more thrust Mayes into the national spotlight, raising questions about the intersection of partisan funding and prosecutorial decision-making in one of the most closely watched legal cases in the country.

Attorney General Kris Mayes has not yet issued a public response to Hamadeh’s request.

Bribery and Lies.

That’s what these allegations suggest motivated these Democratic Attorneys General to hand over prosecutorial power to the State United Democracy Center to weaponize the law to destroy grassroots alternative electors.

Congressman Hamadeh sent this letter to… pic.twitter.com/CmfZhZdVBN

— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) November 16, 2025