Investigative journalism: Republican AG candidate Mark Brnovich and his ties to private prison corporation CCA

While the current Arizona Attorney General, Republican Tom Horne, has proven to be such an embarrassment to the "powers that be" in the AZGOP have allowed at least one of their water carriers to mount a primary challenge to him.

Mark Brnovich, director of Arizona's Department of Gaming and a long-time Republican apparatchik, has announced that he is running for the office.

To the best of my knowledge, he didn't give his girlfriends taxpayer-funded jobs, commit hit-and-run accidents, violate campaign finance laws, or has been permanently banned from securities trading by the SEC.

However, he does seem to have a very questionable association in his closet, one that a state's top law enforcement officer wannabe is going to have trouble explaining away.

From an in-depth article published by the Center for Media and Democracy's PR Watch, written by Beau Hodai -

A former Corrections Corporation of America “senior director of business development” and lobbyist is planning to run for the office of Arizona's top law enforcement officer, Attorney General.

On September 3, Arizona Department of Gaming Director Mark Brnovich sent a letter to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, declaring his intention to resign his post, effective September 20. Although Brnovich has yet to file any formal campaign/committee registration documents with the Office of the Arizona Secretary of State Division of Elections, the Capitol Times reported on September 4, that Brnovich had reserved the website address, "mark4ag.com," on August 23.

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According to statements of financial disclosure filed with the Office of the Arizona Secretary of State Division of Elections by Brnovich’s wife, former Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner and current Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Susan Brnovich, Mark Brnovich served as a “senior director of business development” for CCA during the course of 2005, 2006 and 2007. CCA was not Brnovich's sole source of employment during at least part of this time. He also worked as a federal prosecutor while working for or on behalf of CCA during part of this time, according to the financial disclosure forms of his wife.

Statements of financial disclosure filed by Susan Brnovich, per her employment with the courts, are only available with the Office of the Arizona Secretary of State Division of Elections dating back to 2005. There are no publicly-available records of Mark Brnovich's financial interests or employment prior to this point.

Biographical data submitted to the Arizona Legislature pursuant to Mark Brnovich's March 31, 2009, appointment as the director of the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) states that Mark Brnovich began his employment with CCA in 2005. Similarly, lobbyist records maintained by the Office of the Utah Lieutenant Governor show that Mark Brnovich was a registered lobbyist for CCA in that state during 2005 and 2006. (Utah lobby reports filed for Brnovich during 2006 and 2007 pertain to Brnovich lobby activity on behalf of CCA during 2005 and 2006).

The entire article is well-researched, well-sourced, well written and well worth a read.

Especially as the 2014 election season ramps up...