Paul Weich

McSally Campaign Refunds $121,657 In Excessive Contributions, But Has No Response For How To Improve Its Identification Process

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Senator Martha McSally’s campaign has refunded an eye-opening $121,657 in excessive contributions from its unsuccessful 2018 campaign. In a separate response, the campaign told the Federal Election Commission that it does the minimum required to try to find out donors’ employer and occupation information, but has no explanation for why they have more trouble identifying … Read more

BREAKING: Arizona Asks U.S. Supreme Court For Permission To Sue California For Stealing Tax Revenues

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Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is asking the U.S. Supreme Court for permission to sue neighboring California for stolen tax revenues. The proposed complaint alleges that California unconstitutionally taxes Arizona LLCs for doing business in California – even if that LLC is only a passive investor in another company that does business in the Golden … Read more

(UPDATED) Rep. Kirkpatrick a Late Co-Sponsor Of Resolution To Reverse President Trump’s Emergency

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(UPDATE, 1pm: Rep. Kirkpatrick’s office confirms to Arizona’s Politics that the Congresswoman has co-sponsored the resolution, although it was shortly after the deadline that had been set by prime sponsor Joaquin Castro and House leadership. The co-sponsor list will be updated on Monday, and Kirkpatrick’s name will be on it. Rep. Kirkpatrick remains opposed to … Read more

TOMORROW: Senate Judiciary Committee To Question Mike Liburdi For Judgeship; Trump Nomination Bypassed Arizona Senators

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Mike Liburdi will have his hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow morning. Liburdi was nominated last month by Presdient Donald Trump to fill one of the two judicial vacancies on Arizona’s U.S. District Court bench.

Liburdi was Governor Doug Ducey’s General Counsel between 2015-2018. He applied for the lifetime appointment in August of last year by going directly to the Department of Justice. In 2016-17, he had not been considered by a judicial selection committee that had been set up by Arizona’s two Senators.

Typically, the Senators recommend individuals to the Administration for such nominations in their home states – particularly when the Senators and the President are of the same party. For example, the other pending judicial nomination from Arizona was vetted and recommended by McCain and Flake in early 2017.

Hon. Bridget Bade’s nomination for a position on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week on a remarkably bipartisan vote of 17-5. Her nomination is now ready to be voted on by the entire Senate.

The differing pathways for the Bade and Liburdi nominations was set forth in their written submissions to the Committee, and lays bare some of the tension that existed between Trump, McCain and Flake.

Bade is an uncontroversial pick both because of her judicial experience as a U.S. Magistrate

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Listen, Download, Support: “Border Cowboys” Investigative Report On Buffett’s Adventures/Spending On Arizona/Mexico Border

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Sun Sounds of Arizona is a nonprofit reading service for people who have difficulty holding and/or reading print material because of a disability. It broadcasts statewide and has volunteer readers in Tucson, Flagstaff and Phoenix. BFA contributor Paul Weich (Arizona’s Politics) regularly records the Phoenix New Times.

Most of the articles would not be appropriate to post here, but some of the award-winning reporting is a perfect fit for BFA.

The two-part series published last month is among the latter, and inaugurates this new feature. “Border Cowboys” delves into what is going on down on the Cochise County portion of the U.S./Mexico border, and how the heck billionaire Howard G. Buffett (the Warren Buffett’s son) fits into the vigilante history there. Throw in the Sheriff’s Offices in Cochise County and a couple of Illinois operations and conservation districts, and you have an article that must be heard (or, read) to be believed.

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The Fund for Investigative Journalism, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting, and the Center for Media and Democracy contributed financial support to this reporting. And, those

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