Untangling Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s complex network of interests

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who has presidential aspirations and serves as an attack dog against President Biden, supported a multi-year effort by a powerful Texas businessman to extract millions of dollars in tax refunds from Arizona’s Department of Revenue.The pursuit of the refunds — uncovered through dozens of interviews and after poring over more than 3,500 pages of court records, financial reports, internal emails, as well as scribbled sign-in logs, travel records and calendar entries from three state offices — reveals what Ducey was willing to do to benefit people who could pave his road to national office. The Texas businessman and major GOP political contributor, G. Brint Ryan made his fortune helping clients of all sizes save on taxes. He saw an opportunity for profit in Arizona by assisting companies to claw back more than $100 million in sales taxes paid on diesel fuel used in mining operations. His firm, named after himself, employed Ducey’s former top aides and enlisted additional help from the governor’s current staff to carry out his plan. Some of these officials did their jobs in spite of alleged conflicts of interests.Top officials at the Department of Revenue stood in the way, and the deal ultimately fell through. The officials say the Ducey administration later fired them because of their unwillingness to bend.Here’s a map of the main players involved in this failed behind the scenes power play and what each had at stake.Stories like this are possible because of our subscribers like you. Your support will allow us to continue to produce quality journalism.Stay up to date by signing up for one of our newsletters.Sign upPublished
9:13 am UTC Jul. 14, 2021
Updated
5:27 pm UTC Jul. 14, 2021


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