PHOENIXΒ β Gov. Katie Hobbs calls the comments by Attorney General Kris Mayes about possible dangers from confrontations between citizens and law enforcement officers "inappropriate.''
"She should retract them,'' the governor said of her fellow Democratic elected official.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes
"It is the responsibility of every elected official to turn down the temperature and do everything we can to be very careful with our language about ramping up the potential for violence,'' Hobbs said. "We are seeing across the county people's fear increasing and the potential for violence.''Β
She was reacting to Mayes' comments that the Trump administration has allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to act in ways that couldΒ lead to dangerous encounters.
Hours later, the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate voted along party lines for a resolution calling for Mayes to resign "because she has lost the trust of law enforcement officers."
"She is not resigning,'' responded Mayes' press aide, Richie Taylor.
The Senate Republicans' resolution also says the attorney general should "retract her dangerous rhetoric concerning the use of deadly force against federal, state, and local law enforcement officers.''Β
The resolution has no legal teeth.
All this is the outgrowth of remarks Mayes made last week about the actions of ICE officers in other states and the confrontations that have followed.
"When armed, masked agents force their way into the homes of U.S. citizens without warrants, the risk of dangerous and volatile situations rises dramatically,'' Mayes told Capitol Media Services. "The Trump administration must start acting within the bounds of the Constitution so we can ensure public safety in Arizona and across the country.''
What caused a firestorm of criticism was that Mayes pointed out Arizona is a "stand- your-ground'' state.
"That says that if you reasonably believe that your life is in danger and you're in your house or your car or on your property that you can defend yourself with lethal force,'' she told Brahm Resnik of KTVK-TV.
Mayes also noted that Arizona law allows any adult to carry a concealed weapon.
"We're a gun culture in this state,'' she said. "It's kind of a recipe for disaster because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks." She said that's why it's important for police to have uniforms and be easily identified.
Hobbs, however, said none of that justifies the attorney general making the comments she did.
Law enforcement officers "have a really, really hard and dangerous job," Hobbs said. "And we have to do everything we can to make sure that that job is as safe as possible."
The governor's comments drew a quick response from Mayes' press aide, Taylor. He said that Mayes, in subsequent interviews and a video message she put out Sunday, has "repeatedly clarified her comments.''
"She obviously does not believe it's legal to shoot a peace officer,'' he said. Mayes has not rescinded her original comments.
Taylor also said Hobbs is focusing on the wrong issue.
"The actions of Donald Trump's federal agents are endangering public safety and putting local and state law enforcement and the public in danger,'' he said. "And that is what should concern the governor.''
Meanwhile, the resolution approved by the Senate on a 17-13 party-line vote said of Mayes: "Her continuance as attorney general will offer support to those using her misstatements as a defense when charged with using deadly force against law enforcement officers."
Senate President Warren Petersen, a Gilbert Republican who is seeking to unseat Mayes in November's election, seized on her comments to boost his own candidacy. He said in a statement released by his campaign that Mayes' comments were "reckless, dangerous, and disqualifying.''
Democrats, in turn, repeatedly said Petersen was using the resolution as a campaign publicity stunt.
"We are essentially paying right now, the taxpayers of Arizona are paying for, a publicity stunt for a member of this body's campaign,'' said Phoenix Democratic Sen. Analise Ortiz. "We need to remember how shameful that is.''
She directly asked Petersen if he was playing partisan politics.
"No, I'm not,'' he said. "It would not be appropriate. I'm not. I never have. I never will.''
Petersen noted he's currently running in the GOP primary where he faces two other contenders who also hope to be the party's nominee for attorney general.
"I'm currently not running against Kris Mayes, but with God's will, in the general election I will be running against her,'' he said.
Democrats and Republicans spent more than 90 minutes explaining why they were backing or opposing the resolution.
Fountain Hills Republican Sen. John Kavanagh, a retired Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police officer, said he was the one who brought the resolution, not Petersen. He said he was compelled to defend law enforcement.
He also said he has arrested people while in plain clothes and served no-knock warrants on drug dens. "And nobody had a right to shoot me,'' Kavanagh said. "And I felt the need, the need to try to take this corrective action with respect to the attorney general, out of respect for all law enforcement today.''
Other Republicans also slammed Mayes and Democratic senators who defended her, saying ICE agents were doing their jobs and being attacked.
"Congress established this law. This is not lawlessness,'' said Sen. Mark Finchem, R-Prescott.
"This is a law enforcement agency with the federal government engaged in enforcing federal law,'' he said. "So to use twisted logic to somehow say this is lawlessness is simply incomprehensible.''
Democrats said Republicans were twisting and misquoting Mayes' words for partisan ends.
"She was expressing concern for law enforcement and officers being in placed in such situations,'' said Senate Minority Leader Priya Sundareshan, D-Tucson. "She was expressing concern for residents of Arizona who might find themselves in a situation where a masked person at the door, unidentifiable as federal or other law enforcement, could create a very dangerous situation.''
But Hobbs, in own comments, brushed aside the attorney general's claim that all she was trying to do was prevent danger from confrontations between masked ICE officers and Arizonans.
"If she's had to do as much explaining as she has it didn't hit the mark,'' the governor said.
Queen Creek Republican Sen. Jake Hoffman said he wasn't buying the attorney general's claim her comments were designed to prevent violence.
"This is quite literally a battle between sanity and insane, and we're going to stand on the side of sanity, and we're going to stand on the side of law and order,'' Hoffman said. "What truly should be happening is she should be impeached, convicted, investigated and prosecuted by the federal government for inciting violence and murder against federal law enforcement.''
Joe Clure, the executive director of the Arizona Police Association, has said of Mayes' comments, "Frankly, we view it as a very loud dog whistle that it's OK to assault police offices, shoot police officers. She can try to wordsmith that and defend that how she may see fit. That is clearly how the guys on the street took it.''
There were similar statements from the Arizona Sheriff's Association and the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police who said that Mayes, by mentioning the state's stand-your-ground law, could put officers at risk.
Hobbs brushed aside the fact that her statements put her in at least partial opposition to all the Senate Democrats who were opposed to the resolution.
"I don't disagree with members,'' the governor responded, while saying she stands by her remarks.
"I think that she should retract her comments,'' she said. "I think that they created more confusion and the potential for escalation than the opposite of that which is what we should be doing. And I think she should retract them."
Petersen told Capitol Media Services he is not asking for the Arizona House, which would have to start any impeachment process, to take that step.
"Impeachment is not a viable option as the Dems will all vote 'no,' '' he said. "We cannot reach two-thirds without them,'' referring to the margin necessary in the Senate to remove someone from office. Republicans control 17 of the Senate 30 seats.
