Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Breaking News: Andrew Thomas still under investigation

...OK, so the fact that Andrew Thomas is being investigated doesn't exactly shock any observer of AZ or Maricopa County politics... :)

The AZ Bar Association has dismissed a couple of complaints against Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas (he of "pissing off judges he thinks treat immigrants like human beings," "investigates and jails reporters who write and publish articles he doesn't like," and "funnels taxpayer money to former employers" fame). (AZCentral.com's Political Insider)

Thomas and his echo chamber in the right wing blogosphere have, of course, seized upon this development to declare his canonization and ascension into the pantheon of saints among us. (IC Arizona for the Goldwater Institute)

...OK, not quite. His press release was an exercise in self-worship however.

The headline of IC Arizona's post on the matter was a little misleading.

Final bar investigations dismissed Against County Attorney Thomas: Freedom of Speech wins
There's just a couple of problems with that -

1. Thomas now has received a free pass for investigating and ordering the arrest of two New Times' journalists for daring to publish uncomplimentary articles about him and his saddle partner/political mentor, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. That's hardly a victory for freedom of speech.

2. "Final" is the wrong word to use when describing investigations of Andrew Thomas. To whit:

From the EV Tribune -

The state Bar of Arizona has launched a new ethics investigation against Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas over his prosecution of county supervisor Don Stapley.

The Tribune confirmed the new investigation Monday — the same day the bar dropped the last of two old complaints brought against Thomas and his office.

Pat Giallanza, director of communications for the bar association, confirmed a new complaint has been lodged against Thomas regarding allegations he has a conflict of interest in his handling of the case against Stapley, a Mesa Republican.
More as this story develops...

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