(Photo courtesy of the Office of Arizona Attorney General)

Tom Horne

It’s probably not a stretch to say Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne has had better weeks in his life.

On Monday, a former employee, Sarah Beattie, filed an affidavit claiming she spent the majority of her time in the AG’s office doing campaign work on Horne’s behalf.

Then, on Wednesday, Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk decided to overrule an administrative law judge’s finding that Horne and an aide did not illegally coordinate on an independent expenditure committee during the 2010 election. Polk ordered Horne and aide Kathleen Winn to repay donors $400,000, plus fines.

Horne maintains his innocence on both counts, and says his office is careful about how and when campaign work is done.

Arizona Republic columnist Bob Robb says Horne may be fooling himself, but he has clearly dug in his heels for a nasty fight.