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Democrat Katie Hobbs Laughs While Being Sworn In As Arizona Governor

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Democrat Katie Hobbs took the oath of office on Monday to become Arizona’s governor. During a private ceremony at the state Capitol, Hobbs formally took over from outgoing Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who is leaving office because of term limits.

During the swearing-in ceremony, Hobbs burst out in laughter as 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Roopali Desai sought to administer the oath. Her mother was standing across from the governor and holding what appeared to be a Bible.

“Stop it, Mom!” Hobbs called out.

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The Associated Press reported the outburst was in response to her “mother’s joyous tears.”

Twitter users had mixed emotions about Hobbs’ behavior.

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Arizona Republicans national committeeman Tyler Bowyer, tweeted, “So at best the family isn’t taking it seriously. At worst she is nervous about swearing allegiance to the state and country.”

Another Twitter user wrote, “Dark day for Arizona.”

Still, another was a little more accepting of the behavior writing, “I might be a little giddy in that situation but I also think I could still act professionally while being sworn into office.”

Twitter user Luis Cruz tweeted, “That’s not what I see. It seems Katie and, what seems to be her mom, were getting sentimental and Katie asked her to stop. I’m not defending their campaign, but I also HATE fake news. From both sides.”

Another user responded, “That’s what I saw too. It’s also an inappropriate time to giggle for mommy to stahhhhp! I’m sure the left will defend it for feelings…but if she can’t keep herself together long enough for a 30 sec swear in to a government position? She isn’t capable of position. IMO.”

Earlier this week, Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake filed a petition to transfer her appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court after her election fraud lawsuit was dismissed.

Lake filed the petition on Monday and wants the state’s highest court to take on her appeal after her election loss to Hobbs by around 17,000 votes.

Lake said she is open to a hand recount. In response to a Twitter user calling for a “full hand recount of all AZ ballots,” Lake replied with three simple words: “Yes. We. Do.”

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Newsweek reported: “Lake was responding to a post from Cory McGarr, a conservative member-elect of the Arizona House of Representatives. In his tweet, McGarr pushed for the hand recount and said: ‘If there’s nothing to hide there’s nothing to fear.’ McGarr also tagged Abraham Hamadeh, a Lake ally and former GOP candidate for Arizona attorney general who challenged the results of his own recent election after he lost. A recent recount in that race confirmed that Hamadeh had, in fact, lost to his Democratic opponent Kris Mayes—although by a slimmer margin than the initial tally.”

Last week, Lake filed an appeal after a judge rejected her claims in a lawsuit that sought to overturn her election loss to Hobbs.

Lake asked the Arizona Court of Appeals to reconsider all 10 counts of a lawsuit that were tossed by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson.

Lake also asked the appeals court to overturn the decision for her to pay $33,000 in fees to Hobbs.

Judge Peter Thompson denied a request from Hobbs seeking sanctions against Lake.

However, the judge did award Hobbs just over $33,000 to cover costs for retaining expert witnesses during a two-day trial brought on by Lake, who challenged the results of November’s gubernatorial election.

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“After the litigation, Hobbs filed a request to the court seeking $36,990 in attorneys’ fees and expenses paid during a two-day trial, as well as sanctions against Lake. The court denied Hobbs’ request for sanctions against Lake, saying the claims presented in litigation were not groundless or brought in bad faith. But costs associated with fees of witnesses were covered, for the most part. Hobbs requested reimbursement of $5,900 for an expert who was retained and who testified during the court hearing,” Fox News reported.

“She also filed a separate request for expert witness fees in the amount of $22,451 and an additional $4,689.50 for the reimbursement of a person designated to inspect the ballots. The ballot inspector’s compensation, according to court documents, was charged at a rate of $565 per hour for 8.3 hours. The court agreed to reimburse the $33,040.50 to Hobbs. It also ordered that the amount accrue an annual interest of 7.5% until the money is paid in full,” the report added.

Over 200 people submitted statements to the court detailing their frustrating experiences trying to vote on Election Day in Maricopa County. However, Judge Thompson stated that many of those voters were still able to cast their ballots.

Judge Thompson said that Lake’s team did not provide evidence proving voters were turned away or refused ballots on Election Day.

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