PHOENIX — Gov. Doug Ducey verbally slapped embattled Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel on Tuesday, saying she has not accepted responsibility for the things that have gone wrong in her office.
But he sidestepped the question of whether she should resign or be recalled.
Adel already was under scrutiny for failing to disclose her battles with alcoholism and eating disorders, conditions that top aides said meant she was regularly absent from the office and that, when she was there, she displayed “obvious signs of impairment.''
Now her agency was forced to drop 180 misdemeanor criminal cases, including drunk driving and domestic abuse after a staffer did not assign them to prosecutors. That resulted in failing to actually file charges within one year of the crime occurring.
Ducey called the situation “unacceptable.''
“The police officers that put their life on the line every day, and the victim of these crimes, deserve justice,'' he said.
“I think we need to see this office turn itself around and restore confidence with the voters, the victims of crime,'' the governor continued. “And everybody that wants to live in a safe community deserves that.''
Last month five top prosecutors in her office called for her to resign. Ducey, however, said was was not going to weigh in on that.
“I said what I said on Allister,'' Ducey said. “If she wants to say anything beyond that, I think people will be listening.''
Adel has said that the dropped cases were not her fault, telling the Arizona Republic she could not be expected to “personally touch or handle every matter that falls under her legal authority." And she said that does not indicate she is unfit to lead.
The governor, for his part, suggested he's not ready to blame those in the trenches.
“I want to express support for the line-level prosecutors in that office,'' he said. “They are the unsung heroes in our criminal justice system and they deserve support.''
And Ducey made it clear he believes that means Adel accepting responsibility.
“I think leaders should take accountability for their actions and not blame people on their team,'' he said.
The governor also made it clear he believes things need to change.
“I think we need to see this office turn itself around and restore confidence with the voters, the victims of crime,'' he said. “And everybody that wants to live in a safe community deserves that.''
Adel was appointed county attorney in 2019 to replace Bill Montgomery after Ducey tapped him to serve on the Arizona Supreme Court. She was elected to a four-year term of her own the following year.
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