MAGA prosecutor hit with scathing letter from AG over offer to investigate Dem lawmaker
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is bringing the hammer down on a pro-Trump county prosecutor's move to investigate a state senator for disclosing the location of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The state lawmaker in question, Analise Ortiz, posted information on the locations of ICE agents during a raid in her neighborhood. There is no law against doing this, but Trump supporters have sought to threaten or intimidate people who share that information, claiming that it puts agents' safety at risk.
The Trump administration has run with this, publicly threatening CNN for even airing a segment about a phone app that lets people track ICE raids.
Ortiz, who represents a suburban district in the Phoenix metropolitan area, has said she is receiving death threats, and told ABC15, “I am not intimidated by this, because what I did was simply alert my community to stay away from an area where ICE could be, to keep themselves safe. That is First Amendment-protected speech.”
However, in a recent iHeartRadio radio interview with Garrett Lewis, Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller proclaimed he would like to prosecute Ortiz on behalf of the GOP majority in the legislature, saying, "If our Arizona State legislators would like an investigation into it, into this particular matter, let them know that I'm free. I would be happy to be a special prosecutor and investigate this particular matter if they need a legal opinion."
In a scathing letter sent to Miller's office, Mayes reminded him that she is the state's top law enforcement official and said, "I demand that you provide a report to my office by August 15, 2025, answering the following questions related to your interest in prosecuting Arizona Senator Analise Ortiz, your belief that laws have been violated, and your self-advertised offer to serve as a special prosecutor."
Specifically, she demanded Miller explain why he believes he has authority to prosecute people in Maricopa County, outside his jurisdiction; why he believes the legislature can appoint him as a special prosecutor when there is no law or process to do so; why he cited an Arizona statute that has been blocked by federal courts; and why he claimed Ortiz committed obstruction of justice, a crime that does not exist in Arizona.
"Finally, in your radio interview ... you argued repeatedly that 'the First Amendment does not protect that type of speech,'" wrote Mayes. "When you ran for Pinal County Attorney, your campaign platform included fighting 'extreme leftist ideologies.' But now that you are the elected official you have a duty to execute your authority fairly and impartially. Why under A.R.S. § 12-751, would it not be an anti-SLAPP violation for you to initiate the investigation of a Democratic legislator given your campaign statements and current zealous interest to deter, prevent, or retaliate against Senator Ortiz from exercising her First Amendment Rights?"