Petersen, Montenegro Allege Hobbs, Mayes ‘Impeachable Offenses’

Arizona’s political landscape erupted Thursday as Senate President Warren Petersen issued a blunt warning that Governor Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes may have committed “impeachable offenses,” putting both officials under an unprecedented level of statewide — and now national — scrutiny.

“Disturbing allegations are being made that Hobbs and Mayes… committed impeachable offenses,” Petersen wrote. “Impeachment is done by the House and conviction by the Senate. Should the House impeach, the Senate will hold a trial. We will not tolerate corruption.”

Disturbing allegations are being made that Hobbs and Mayes, the two most powerful elected officials in the state, committed impeachable offenses. Impeachment is done by the House and conviction by the Senate. Should the House impeach, the Senate will hold a trial. We will not…

— Warren Petersen (@votewarren) November 14, 2025

Petersen’s declaration came as two separate Republican-led investigations accelerated: one focusing on an unprecedented multimillion-dollar payout to a child welfare provider that donated to Hobbs’ campaign,  and another stemming from a $200,000 whistleblower payout approved by Mayes.

According to prior reporting by the Arizona Globe, Sunshine Residential Homes received a 30% rate increase after donating more than $400,000 to Hobbs and the Arizona Democratic Party. Staff communications revealed that employees warned about the provider’s “close relationship with Hobbs” and expressed discomfort with political overtones. All other providers offering the same services were denied rate increases.

House Speaker Steve Montenegro announced the formation of a formal advisory team to investigate what he described as serious red flags. He stated, “The facts reported raise serious questions the House cannot ignore. Arizona’s children, families, and taxpayers deserve a system that is clean, fair, and focused on care — not political access or donations.” He added, “The House will secure the records, ask the hard questions, and, if necessary, change the law to ensure it never happens again.”

The advisory committee will include Representatives Selina Bliss, David Livingston, Matt Gress, Quang Nguyen, and Speaker Pro Tem Neal Carter.

(insert photo of press release)

Senate President Pro Tem T.J. Shope also issued a statement, calling the revelations “deeply disturbing” and directly addressing concerns raised by DCS staff.

“When senior agency officials feel pressured because a provider has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Governor, and that provider then threatens to pull critical beds unless it gets a massive rate increase, the integrity of government decision-making is called into question,” Shope said. “This demands immediate answers.”

Shope outlined additional concerns, including:

• Sunshine Homes claimed a large deficit while still reporting $440,000 in operating income.
• DCS approved the rate hike despite a projected $13 million shortfall.
• Independent accounting experts found the deficit claim “inconsistent” with records.

He emphasized that the issue transcends party lines. “This is not a partisan issue — it’s a public trust issue,” he said. “If political donations influenced decisions inside DCS… that is unacceptable. We intend to get to the bottom of this.”

In another equally alarming case, Attorney General Kris Mayes is being investigated for a $200K payout to Mayes, along with what some are calling major due-process violations. The investigation stems from Mayes’s 2020 “Alternate Electors” case against Christina Bobb, a former investigative reporter and Trump attorney who is one of sixteen remaining defendants in State of Arizona v. Kelli Ward. A judge recently remanded the indictment, finding major due-process violations and making a prima facie determination that the prosecution appeared to be politically motivated. Bobb is claiming protection as a “whistleblower.”

Bobb’s whistleblower memo claims the case against her was influenced by outside political actors, not Arizona prosecutors. She says documents the state accidentally disclosed to her team show that:

• The Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) sent $200,000 to Attorney General Kris Mayes’ legal fund after Mayes took office.
• After receiving the first payment, Mayes’ office signed a contract giving States United Democracy Center—a liberal nonprofit that Bobb says is effectively an arm of DAGA—prosecutorial influence in the Trump-elector case.
• States United drafted the “blueprint” for the charges and continued advising prosecutors, who claimed an attorney-client relationship with the group.

Bobb argues the timing is impossible to ignore: no DAGA support during Mayes’ campaign, but two large payments after she gained prosecutorial power, both coinciding with the launch of the grand jury and the arrests of Trump electors.

She says the arrangement creates “a significant appearance of impropriety” and suggests that political motives, rather than the law, drove the prosecution. Bobb has filed a motion seeking to disqualify Mayes, her office, and States United from the case. Her memo for Judicial Watch is available here.