County attorney Rachel Mitchell's Trump endorsement shows she's running scared
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell has endorsed Donald Trump for president.
Just let that sink in for a moment.
The county’s law-and-order prosecutor has put her stamp of approval on a guy facing 88 felony charges.
The veteran sex crimes prosecutor has declared herself all-in for a man whom a civil jury found liable for sexually abusing and defaming advice columnist E. Jean Carroll.
“I don’t agree with Donald Trump on everything,” Mitchell told reporters last week. “I’m guessing he doesn’t agree with me on everything, but I do agree with the way he handled the border, and I do agree with the way he handled the economy, and therefore, yes, I will be supporting him for president.”
Mitchell faces a Kari Lake pick in primary
It’s taken me a few days to hoist my jaw up off the floor.
To understand how it is that a career prosecutor who considers herself an advocate for victims of sexual abuse could support a creeper who once bragged that he “can do anything” to a woman, including grabbing her genitals, because he’s a star.
The only answer I’ve come up with is that Mitchell is running scared.
Like all the key Maricopa County officials, Mitchell has been targeted by the MAGA mob that is hoping to defeat the establishment Republicans who now run the county and install its hard-right America First slate. Virtually every Republican officeholder has drawn a challenger in the July 30 Republican primary.
No less than the MAGA queen herself, Kari Lake, is supporting Gina Godbehere in her bid to knock off Mitchell. This, because Mitchell had the nerve to defend the county against Lake’s claims of a rigged 2022 election.
And then to win.
Twice.
Trump faces 88 felonies. Why endorse him?
Count the man who hired Mitchell decades ago among the Republicans who are stunned at her decision to endorse Trump.
“Why did she even take a position?” former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley asked. “You have 88 outstanding felony charges that are still against the former president and there’s been a probable cause determination that he committed these. It’s not like it’s in the investigative phase or anything like that. It’s probable cause. That means more likely than not.”
Mitchell endorsed Trump during a press conference on Wednesday, citing the fentanyl that is pouring across a border that she says has become wide open under President Joe Biden.
Never mind, apparently, the fact that the surge in fentanyl seizures and overdoses actually began during President Trump’s watch, according to Factcheck.org and Forbes.
Romley endorsed Mitchell when she first ran for county attorney in 2022. Her endorsement of Trump has him now questioning whether he’ll support her this year.
Why Rachell Mitchell: Is Arizona's savviest politician
“I have serious reservations at this point in time,” he said.
“Leadership requires you to be willing to lose the job at times if you’re really going do it right. Sometimes you’ve got to stand up.”
Clearly, Rachel Mitchell is running scared
Indeed, Mitchell did stand up — for a former president who faces criminal charges of falsifying business records to hide hush money paid to a porn star, of risking national security by taking highly sensitive classified documents and of entering into a conspiracy to steal the 2020 election.
Certainly, nobody would have expected Mitchell to endorse Joe Biden. But to endorse a guy who stands charged with 88 crimes to be the leader of the free world?
I really thought Mitchell was, at her heart, a steady prosecutor guided by principle and the rule of law.
What I saw last week was a scared politician caught up by three other words:
Whatever it takes.
Reach Roberts at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @LaurieRoberts or on Threads at laurierobertsaz.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: County attorney Rachel Mitchell is running scared, endorses Trump