So this is late but we gotta say the shaming of Gunnigle for asserting a valid critique of the MCAO is irresponsible reporting. Since Nov, the public has had concerns about the double standard on the campaign trail where Adel called her opponent a “part-time prosecutor” (1/2) https://twitter.com/phoenixnewtimes/status/1354648103639343109

b/c she took maternity leave, while she, herself, hasn’t been able to discharge the duties of the office due to unforeseen medical circumstances. What’s worse, Adel has given little info about whether she would even be capable of holding office due to her medical condition.(2/11)

Since the election, there’s been NO transparency about who is actually running the MCAO. The office is running amuck issuing street gang charges to peaceful protesters, colluding with police + police unions to inflate their budgets on false pretenses, and to carry on (3/11)

the legacy of brutality the MCAO is notorious for, like refusing to charge the officer who killed Ryan Whitaker. In her tweets, Gunnigle signaled to equity and named an important contradiction in the self-righteousness with which Adel hammered her during the campaign. (4/11)

There’s nothing “craven” about demanding accountability from an office that has only ever shown reckless indifference for so many people’s lives and refuses to be transparent. We all deserve to have time to rest and heal, but most aren’t afforded that right. (5/11)

And, if we want to talk about outrage, what about the 300+ folx who’ve been slapped with false charges for exercising their 1st Amendment Right to critique this very office? (6/11)

Nothing about what is happening at the MCAO feels right. Adel signed the oath, but no one is quite sure when. Adel issues statements that she’s back to work, but there is no evidence this is actually true. Prosecutors in her office are making outlandish charging decisions (7/11)

with no accountability or oversight. The leaders Adel assigned to act in her stead are behaving recklessly in her absence, and their behavior continues, which raises concerns as to whether Adel is actually anywhere to be found. (8/11)

With these circumstances, anyone, including members of Adel’s own party, would demand that an office funded by taxpayers to oversee the largest county in the state, 4th largest in the nation, must prove they have the capacity to run the most powerful CJ office in AZ. (9/11)

Anyone, including Gunnigle, who earned the trust of nearly 1 million Maricopa County voters, has the right to raise these concerns w/out being painted as an irrational, angry woman that’s dabbling in what this writer patronizingly refers to as “semi-woke gobbledygook”. (10/11)

Let’s be real here. This reporter, and all the other folks who’ve been trolling her comments since, eclipsed Julie Gunnigle’s legitimate concerns with outdated and played out patriarchy and disrespected the Maricopa County voters who demand transparency. (11/11)