Hoffman Defends Contentious Vetting of Hobbs Nominees

“Woke mega-corporations and the crony Chamber of Commerce have come out hard with support for their favorite “Green New Scam” environmental activist Karen Peters. The republican Party grassroots and conservative members of the legislature aren’t going to participate in blindly allowing Hobbs to nominate far-left radical idealogues. We’ll just have to wait and see which Republicans choose to join Democrats and help Katie Hobbs shift our state further to the left by confirming Ms. Peters.”

Senator Jake Hoffman’s searing indictment of Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and her nominee for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is evidence of the continued tensions simmering between Hobbs and the Republican-controlled State Senate over the confirmation of agency directors. Senator Hoffman is defending the Senate’s scrutiny process, rejecting claims that the GOP is obstructing the Governor’s agenda purely out of partisanship.

On a recent episode of The Gaggle podcast that may have flown under the radar, Hoffman—who leads the Senate Committee on Director Nominations—pushed back on Governor Hobbs’ portrayal of the confirmation process as a “circus,” instead framing the Senate’s role as a constitutional safeguard designed to ensure accountability.

“One of the underpinnings for our republic is adequate checks and balances,” Hoffman said. “The [Arizona] Constitution gives the Senate the advice and consent role, specifically so that if there is a lack of vetting or if there isn’t a full due diligence done, someone steps in and has the ability to do that.”

Since taking office, Governor Hobbs has faced difficulties getting her nominees confirmed, with many agency heads operating on an interim basis. Hobbs has blamed Senate Republicans for erecting a blockade, but Hoffman pushed back on that narrative.

“I don’t think it actually has anything to do with Hobbs,” Hoffman insisted. “I think it has to do with a new set of legislative leaders, a new legislative philosophy… We committed right out of the gate that we would conduct an honest, accurate and thorough vetting of every single nominee.”

While acknowledging that Hobbs’ Democratic affiliation may have played a “role,” Hoffman said the more profound concern was over her qualifications to serve as the state’s chief executive.

“We didn’t have any faith that Katie Hobbs had the executive functioning skills,” Hoffman said. “She had been Secretary of State, but that’s a largely ministerial executive office… Because of our inability to have faith that we would get qualified nominees, we took a more hands-on approach.”

That approach led to the Director Nominations Committee (DINO), which has rejected or delayed a number of Hobbs’ appointees. But Hoffman argued the strategy is working: “In every case—except for one—we have received after the rejection or withdrawal a better, more qualified, more capable nominee to take their place. We think that’s proof that this is working and that we’re serving the best interest of the people of the state.”

Asked whether Hobbs, who won a statewide election, deserves to install her chosen leaders, Hoffman responded by pointing to the voters’ decision to elect and re-elect a Republican-controlled Senate.

“Voters returned us with a larger majority,” Hoffman said. “So I would say that, again, we’ve gotten more qualified nominees. The voters have responded in kind and given us a greater mandate to check her power.”

As previously reported, Governor Hobbs initially said she would no longer submit agency director nominations to the Senate, citing the “circus environment” created by the current confirmation process. Her office maintains that the delays are driven more by partisan obstruction than legitimate concerns over qualifications.

Despite previously vowing to stop submitting nominees, Hobbs has quietly backtracked. A confirmation hearing for her pick to lead the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is now scheduled for Monday, June 23, at 1:15 pm.

You can watch the hearing here.

“The goal,” Hoffman concluded on the Gaggle, “is not to play petty politics—it’s to ensure we have competent leadership for the people of Arizona.”

The Maricopa County Republican Committee said, “AZleg must reject dangerous dem Katie Hobbs radical Arizona Department of Environmental Quality nominee.” Here is a copy of the video that the MCRC distributed. (Link here.)