Bennett, K SoS
<p>===</p><p>Two of Arizona's most powerful officials ran into some trouble this
week, though one seems to be in far bigger trouble than the other.</p><p>Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett (R), for example, is perhaps best known for <a href="http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/05/23/11827467-two-steps-forward-one-step-back-in-arizona?lite">flirting with</a>
the "birther" conspiracy theory and publicly questioning whether
President Obama would be on the state ballot in 2012. This week,
however, Bennett faced a different kind of controversy, when we learned
the <font color="#FF0000">Arizona Secretary of State is <a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/05/07/arizona_secretary_of_state_on_payroll_of_freedomworks_activist/">bankrolled</a> by the Tea Party group Freedomworks</font>, to the tune of $2,000 a month.</p><p>But as it turns out, that's the <i>less</i> interesting story <a href="http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/arizona-ag-pleads-no-contest-to-leaving-scene?ref=fpblg">out of the Grand Canyon State</a> this week.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>On Wednesday in Phoenix Municipal Court, while all eyes were on the
Jodi Arias murder trial, <font color="#FF0000">Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne</font> pleaded no
contest to leaving the scene of an accident, a misdemeanor, and agreed
to pay a several hundred dollar fine. [...]
Horne on Wednesday issued a statement announcing that the case had
been settled. "Today I paid a $300 fine to settle a traffic misdemeanor
arising from not leaving a note after a traffic incident in a parking
lot, which at most left a paint scratch and no dent," Horne said in the
statement.</p>
</blockquote><p>And why is a minor traffic accident interesting? As it
turns out, when <font color="#FF0000"><b>Arizona's attorney general </b></font>hit another car and drove
away without leaving a note, he very likely would have gotten away with
it, except, unbeknownst to him, Horne <a href="http://www.azfamily.com/news/Tom-Horne-says-he-paid-300-fine-to-settle-hit-and-run-case-206687831.html">was being followed by FBI</a> agents who saw the incident and reported what happened.</p><p>And
why were FBI agents following the state attorney general? Because
federal law enforcement suspects Horne<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> may be guilty of breaking federal
campaign finance laws, illegally coordinating with an outside political
group.</span></p><p>What's more, making this just a little more entertaining,
the Arizona Republican drove away after hitting that other car in part
because his passenger is one of his subordinates, with whom Horne has
had an extra-marital affair.</p><p>Incidentally, Horne, ostensibly Arizona's top law-enforcement official, <a href="http://www.knau.org/post/fbi-agent-says-ag-hornes-hit-and-run-was-attempt-hide-affair">initially lied</a> about hitting the other car and declined to cooperate in the police investigation.</p><a href="http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/news/2013/05/10/18170756-crazy-from-the-heat">http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/news/2013/05/10/18170756-crazy-from-the-heat</a>