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Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas already has ripped through much of the $100,000 he was granted by the Board of Supervisors to fund his defense against an ethics complaint filed against him with the Arizona State Bar Association, which has prompted discussion about whether he should be granted more county money.
According to an article in the Arizona Republic, Thomas already has spent $86,000 of the $100,000 he was granted, and that’s before a hearing date has even been set.
The BOS, which has had a strained (and that’s putting it mildly) relationship Thomas, hasn’t said whether it will allocate more money for Thomas’ defense.
“As one person that witnessed his offensive behavior so directly, it makes it hard to give him anything,” Board Chairman Andy Kunasek tells the newspaper. “I don’t know how he can defend his actions. That being said, we defend the professional licenses of a number of people. You’ll never be able to capture my disdain for doing this.”
Thomas’ attorney, Don Wilson, says his client “is entitled to a meaningful defense, and we remain hopeful the board will do the right thing.”
We want to know what you think: should more county money be spent defending Thomas?
Cast your vote below.