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Guest Opinion//September 30, 2022
Voters should know why U.S. Army Reserve is investigating Hamadeh
Guest Opinion//September 30, 2022
Republican candidate Abraham Hamadeh should tell voters why the United States Army Reserve is investigating him.
Though he’s running to be Arizona’s top law enforcement officer, multiple reports have indicated that he has repeatedly broken the law. First, he made far-fetched accusations of election fraud in the Trump v. Biden race. Next, he hypocritically admitted to committing voter fraud by altering votes on his mother’s absentee ballot. Next, there’s the reporting that he failed to list two jobs and potential conflicts of interest to the voters on campaign disclosure.
Finally, a United States Army Reserve spokesperson confirmed an investigation in August, including Hamadeh – although he won’t tell us why.
Abraham Hamadeh currently serves as an officer in the United States Army Reserve and rightfully should be proud of his military service. From 2020 to 2021, he mobilized to Saudi Arabia for an active duty tour as an intelligence officer, during which Mr. Hamadeh now claims he took the photo that he recently posted on Twitter. Somehow, Hamadeh had plenty of time to leave his desk in Saudi Arabia and head to a local photographer for uniformed glamor shots.
He should know better as an attorney and candidate running for the State’s top law enforcement job. The Department of Defense prohibits wearing a military uniform “… during or in connection with furthering political activities.” Yet, Hamadeh had no problem posting his Saudi-taken glamor shot, sans any disclaimer.
Hamadeh’s tenuous grasp of the law might be understandable, given that he graduated from law school a scant four years ago. He spent nearly two years on Army Reserve duty performing non-legal duties (and posing for campaign photos in Saudi Arabia).
Admittedly, the improper wear of the uniform is a low-level offense for which Hamadeh would most likely receive a warning or counseling statement. It is, therefore, somewhat unlikely that Mr. Hamadeh’s improper uniform use is the basis of the Army Reserve’s investigation, as has been speculated.
Because the Armed Forces do not typically announce details of ongoing investigations, the severity of his alleged misconduct may not become known until after the results of November’s election.
Without surrendering his right to remain silent, Mr. Hamadeh could disclose the cause of the investigation at any moment. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, “No person . . . may interrogate, or request any statement from, an accused or a person suspected of an offense without first informing him of the nature of the accusation.” In other words, if Hamadeh is under investigation, he likely knows precisely why.
The Army requires investigators to hand him a form and read it to him with the alleged misconduct written right at the top. They would even have offered him a copy, including a copy of any statement he gave, for his records.
Without substantive legal experience, Abraham Hamadeh has put his Army Reserve service front and center. Abe should respect voters enough to disclose the nature of the investigation.
Tim Stringham, a Chandler resident, served in the United States Army Reserve and then the United States Navy JAG Corps. Signa Oliver, a Phoenix resident, served in the Arizona Army National Guard and then the United States Army JAG Corps. Follow Signa at https://twitter.com/Signalaw. The views expressed here do not represent those of the Department of Defense.
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