AZ Democratic Party gives Horne an earful

by David Safier

When even conservative columnist Robert Robb says Horn should step aside from the Fiesta Bowl investigation and appoint an independent prosecutor, you know this isn't just Democrats making noise. And when the Republic publisher John Zidich quit the Fiesta Bowl Board so there would be no question of conflict of interest in his paper's reporting, that's double the evidence Horne needs to distance himself from the investigation.

Here's the Press Release from the Democratic Party.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2011

It's easy to spot Fiesta Bowl conflicts of interest — unless you're Tom Horne

PHOENIX — This week, Arizona Republic publisher John Zidich resigned from the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors, recognizing it was the right thing to do — and the best way to instill public confidence in the newspaper's ongoing coverage of the scandal. Yet Attorney General Tom Horne sees no problem in leading the investigation of the illegal campaign contribution scheme, even though he's politically connected to the Fiesta Bowl and its GOP lobbyists.

Only two weeks ago, top Fiesta Bowl lobbyists Chuck Coughlin and Doug Cole hosted a fancy fundraiser for Horne. But when AZ Dem Chairman Andrei Cherny spoke up and said Horne should step aside from the investigation, the attorney general called this "idiotic."

Now that respected columnists like Bob Robb and Laurie Roberts are making similar calls, Horne is even telling journalists they are "out of line" for questioning his close ties to Fiesta Bowl lobbyists.

In reality, Horne is the one who is out of line. And it would be idiotic not to step aside. The public will never trust this attorney general to properly investigate his own inner circle of GOP powerbrokers.

Step aside, Tom. Let's have a fair and impartial Fiesta Bowl investigation, and let the chips fall where they may, on Republicans, Democrats and/or Independents — anyone whose behavior was suspect or illegal.