Where Do They Find These People?

I previously wrote about the Republican contenders for Arizona Attorney General, but I focused on a quirky third candidate, Taj, not Andrew Thomas or Tom Horne. After reading another article about the Republican race at Heat City, however, I began thinking Taj may be the only smart choice.

From what I’ve read, it seems Thomas might be the subject of a federal grand jury investigation. Earlier this year, a court apparently found that he prosecuted people for personal political advantage and personal political retribution. The year before, judges supposedly called him unethical. I understand he’s got a pending bar investigation, so his license to practice law may be in trouble.

Horne doesn’t seem that much better. He supposedly ran an investment firm that went bankrupt in 1970, earning him a lifetime trading ban from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Horne allegedly submitted a false balance sheet, misrepresenting his firm’s assets. He also later failed to disclose that bankruptcy.

Read this article and check out this website. If they did even a small portion of the things they’re each alleged to have done, it’s incredible that they would be the Republican front runners for attorney general.

I know a lot of lawyers, but I certainly don’t know many who’ve been accused of being evil and unethical by judges. I can’t say I know many who’ve ever been investigated by federal grand juries either. I probably don’t know any. The vast majority of lawyers I know have never had even the slightest trouble with the bar, and they certainly haven’t received a lifetime trading ban from the SEC.

If I knew them, of all the lawyers I know, Thomas and Horne would stand out as having unusually sketchy backgrounds. Does anyone other than me find it amusing that best the Republican party seems to be able to come up with is two Harvard Law grads who have things on their resume that would make many of my clients blush?