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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes on Friday announced he would not seek reelection next year, but his office still faces scrutiny from lawmakers and may face tougher oversight pending the findings of a legislative audit approved last month.
Much of the attention stems from Reyes' long relationship with anti-trafficking activist Tim Ballard, who has been accused of sexual assault and other misconduct in several civil lawsuits. Reyes himself is accused of trying to intimidate a critic of Operation Underground Railroad — the organization founded by Ballard — in another lawsuit.
However, the idea for the audit into Reyes' office originated before the recent string of allegations against Ballard, according to Utah Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan, who spearheaded a letter campaign signed by several dozen bipartisan lawmakers requesting that the legislative auditor general examine the attorney general's office.
"I had actually drafted the audit request last May, before any of the Ballard stuff hit the press in a big way," Ivory told KSL.com Tuesday. "I was already concerned about getting information on the efficiency, effectiveness, culture, operation of the office, like we do with all executive agencies and branches."
Ivory said enough questions had been raised about the office and the allegations against Ballard "kind of pushed it over the edge." The findings of the audit will help guide potential legislation to reform oversight of the audit, Ivory said, and though he has opened a bill file on oversight of the attorney general's office, he said he is waiting to see the results of the audit before moving forward.
Another lawmaker, Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, has said he's considering legislation to change the Utah Constitution to make the office of attorney general an appointed, rather than elected, position.
Who's running in 2024?
With Reyes out, there will be an open campaign for the attorney general's seat for the first time in more than a decade, and one candidate has already thrown his hat in the ring.
Derek Brown, the former chairman of the Utah Republican Party, announced his campaign Tuesday after flirting with the idea last month.
"Our country is in a difficult place," he said. "Some believe that we are more divided than ever. But Utah is different. Utah is a place where people come together and communities prosper."
"But there is no guarantee that things will stay that way," he added, which is why he said he's running a campaign.
A former state lawmaker and congressional staffer, Brown's exploratory committee was led by former Gov. Gary Herbert, who first appointed Reyes to the role of attorney general in 2013. Herbert will serve as the chairman of Brown's campaign.
The former governor described Brown as "an effective legal advocate and principled conservative."
"I believe Utah needs a constitutional conservative – someone who will always put Utahns first, promote law and order in our communities, and continue to push back against the federal government when it oversteps its bounds," Brown said.
