Report: Orange-Clad Men Seen Before Katie Hobbs' Inauguration - Is This the Kind of Administration She's Running?
Pictures have emerged showing orange-clad men at the Arizona state Capitol on Monday setting up for the inauguration of incoming Gov. Katie Hobbs. But now, some shocking reports have emerged about who these men actually were.
Hobbs was sworn in as Arizona’s 24th governor on Monday after defeating Republican rival Kari Lake in a hotly contested election during the November midterm elections.
It’s worth noting that Lake has challenged those results and is still fighting them. Lake’s case will be heard by the Arizona Court of Appeals on Jan. 24.
That being said, the inauguration was supposed to be a celebration of her victory after this hard battle, but it turned out to be much different.
Photos have since emerged on Twitter showing orange-clad men at the State Capitol setting up for the ceremony. One journalist, Jimmy Jenkins, revealed that these were not ordinary workers, but the orange jumpsuits indicate that they were convicts in Arizona prisons hired to set up the inauguration and then quickly hustled out before the guests arrived.
A tipster shared these pictures with me. Apparently prison labor was used to set up the inauguration of Arizona’s new governor today at the state capitol in Phoenix. The incarcerated workers were hurried away from the event as volunteers and staff arrived. pic.twitter.com/087pGf6pad
— Jimmy Jenkins (@JimmyJenkins) January 5, 2023
Incredible photos of incarcerated workers setting up today’s inauguration ceremony by @azcentral‘s @joerondone https://t.co/E8DfTFLYdl pic.twitter.com/RxPufCXNDt
— Jimmy Jenkins (@JimmyJenkins) January 6, 2023
Essentially, these incarcerated men were used as cheap labor by the state of Arizona to set up a large event for the Democrats and for their allies before being swiftly removed.
Instead of hiring people and giving them suitable compensation for their work, the new Hobbs administration is taking advantage of prisoners and using them as slave labor.
Now there is nothing wrong with prisoners working and studying while they are incarcerated, as this helps increase their chances of finding suitable employment and making a life for themselves after they leave prison. This helps ensure that they do not commit further crimes and end up back in prison.
But that is not what is happening here. These prisoners are being treated as cheap disposable labor by the Democrats to help set up a large political event.
This, of course, is the same party that has been demanding that we treat convicts with respect and show them “compassion.” But their actions do not seem to back up their words.
This was not the only thing that plagued Hobbs’s public image on inauguration day. For instance, she held a lavish inaugural ball following the ceremony, a bad look given how bad the economy is and how many Americans are struggling with paying for food and energy. Plus, she refused to reveal which major donors were funding the party.
New: For Arizona @GovernorHobbs‘ inauguration events, donors were asked to give $250,000 – an unprecedented amount – to a new group incorporated by Hobbs’ campaign manager that doesn’t have to disclose donors/amounts/spending. https://t.co/KVVQJ1lINZ via @azcentral pic.twitter.com/mVg24dO4Oq
— Stacey Barchenger (@sbarchenger) January 5, 2023
She also burst into laughter while taking the oath of office, leading many to conclude that she and her family were not taking the oath seriously.
So at best the family isn’t taking it seriously. At worst she is nervous about swearing allegiance to the state and country
— Tyler Bowyer (@tylerbowyer) January 2, 2023
The whole spectacle leaves serious questions about what kind of administration Hobbs will run. Will she be running a serious administration concerned with the good of Arizona’s citizens, or will she be running an administration that treats the job as a joke and uses people as cheap labor?
Whether it is the use of convicts as cheap labor, the lavish inaugural ball, or lack of proper etiquette during the oath of office, Katie Hobbs’s term as Arizona’s governor has not gotten off to a good start.
And now that Hobbs is firmly under the microscope as governor, her controversial debate “strategy” (read: hiding) isn’t going to fly.
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