Tom ‘banned for life by the SEC’ Horne keeps digging his hole deeper

The “first rule of holes” is “When  you’re in one, stop digging.”

Apparently Attorney General Tom “banned for life by the SEC’ Horne never learned this invaluable lesson.

Tommy Boy is the subject of two lawsuits, investigations by the office of the Secretary of State and the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, and an internal whitewash investigation by some of his campaign contributors, paid for with your tax dollars ala Governor Chris Christie and his Bridgegate scandal. Only Christie made his whitewash investigation public. Tommy Boy does not intend to make public his whitewash report. Shhhh. Results of Tom Horne investigation to stay secret.

That’s a pretty deep hole Tommy Boy has dug for himself. So what does he do now? Double-down and dig a little deeper! AG Tom Horne sues to block investigation:

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne is challenging the authority of the Citizens Clean Elections Commission to investigate him over alleged campaign-finance violations.

Horne filed a lawsuit last week arguing the commission does not have jurisdiction to investigate or sanction him because he is not using public funds for his reelection campaign.

Horne’s lawsuit contends any inquiries into Horne should first be reviewed by the Secretary of State, then referred to the Attorney General’s Office, or through civil actions if the attorney general fails to act on a sworn complaint within 45 days.

Horne’s complaint asks a judge to prevent the commission from “proceeding outside of its jurisdiction,” and find that the commission isn’t authorized to investigate candidates who do not rely on public funding.

First of all, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission does have jurisdiction to investigate Tommy Boy. SB 1344, a bill which stripped the Citizens Clean Elections Commission of jurisdiction to investigate non-participating candidates as a gift from corrupt Tea-Publican lawmakers in the Arizona legislature and Governor Jan Brewer to Tommy Boy does not go into effect until July 24, and it is prospective only (there is no retroactive clause in the bill). The bill is also of questionable legality, since the Citizens Clean Elections Commission was enacted by a citizens initiative; it cannot be amended by legislation that is contrary to its purpose and effect.

Secondly, the public perception of this corrupt Attorney General arguing that only he, in his capacity as Attorney General, has jurisdiction to refer himself for prosecution does not sit well with a disgusted public. The Republic’s Laurie Roberts opinion today is spot on. Tom Horne sues to stop Clean Elections investigation:

Attorney General Tom Horne has filed a lawsuit, challenging the right of the Citizens Clean Elections Commission to investigate … Attorney General Tom Horne.

For a guy who says he wants the truth to come out, he’s fighting awfully hard to squelch it.

* * *

The bipartisan Citizens Clean Election Commission voted unanimously last month to launch an investigation[.]

Now Horne’s suing to get the commission to back off.

Horne, through his attorney Timothy La Sota, is claiming that Clean Elections has no authority to nose into Horne’s business because Horne is a privately funded candidate. To do so, he says, is a “stunning power grab.”

“The Legislature and the Governor share this view, too,” the lawsuit says. “That’s why the Legislature passed Senate Bill 1344, which vindicates Plaintiff’s interpretation of the law as giving the Secretary of State alone the power to initiate investigations of alleged violations of contribution limits by nonparticipating candidates.”

It’s true that the Legislature this year curiously decided to strip the commission of its authority to investigate privately funded candidates such as Horne. Whether it succeeded is still an open question.

Clean Elections Executive Director Tom Collins says the bill fell short. Even if he’s wrong about that, the new law doesn’t go into effect until July 24 and it’s not retroactive.

Regardless, Horne, in the lawsuit, says Clean Elections is butting in where it has no business and no legal authority. It seems the only one who can investigate Tom Horne is Tom Horne, or a party to be named by Tom Horne.

 Arizona voters need to turn out en masse to vote this arrogant corrupt politician out of office. It is your duty to kick Tommy Boy to the curb.

UPDATE: KTAR reports Hearing set on Arizona AG Tom Horne’s lawsuit to block probe:

A judge has scheduled a hearing for Friday on Attorney General Tom Horne’s lawsuit seeking to block the state’s campaign finance commission’s investigation into allegations that office employees used work time and resources for Horne’s re-election campaign.

Superior Court Judge Dawn Begin set the hearing on Horne’s [motion for preliminary injunction] that contends the Citizens Clean Elections Commission lacks the authority to investigate candidates not participating in Arizona’s public campaign funding system.