Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel: 'I have nothing to hide'

By Lauren Gilger, Dillon Rosenblatt
Published: Monday, February 7, 2022 - 11:11am
Updated: Wednesday, February 9, 2022 - 7:35am

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Allister Adel
Maricopa County Attorney's Office
Allister Adel

The Arizona Republic first reported last week that Maricopa County officials are concerned about County Attorney Allister Adel’s alcoholism and how it’s affecting her ability to serve in her elected role.

It’s not the first time these concerns have been addressed through the press rather than come directly out of her prosecuting office. Adel admitted to battling alcohol addiction and an eating disorder in September after Sheriff Paul Penzone apparently forced her hand into coming clean when she first went to rehab.

→ Arizona Republic finds concerns over Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel's ability to run office

But the latest update has members of the county board of supervisors — who appointed her to the position in 2019 — publicly calling her out for missing important meetings and just overall not being present.

Adel has said the office is functioning as it should and asks for people to understand what she’s going through, which has drawn a lot of criticism from attorneys whose clients faced substance abuse and mental health issues and are often not offered the same understanding.

The Show spoke with Adel about her brief stint in rehab last year as well as the concerns coming from her office and other county officials.

Editor's note: After this interview aired on The Show, an Arizona Republic article questioned Adel's comment about the number of days she spent in treatment. KJZZ reached out to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, which released the following statement without further comment.

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