PHOENIX, AZ -- Critics say Maricopa County Manager David Smith is abusing his authority, acting like a child and has overstepped his bounds.
It all has to do with a letter Smith sent to eight high ranking employees with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office including Andrew Thomas.
The two-page letter demands the employees disclose the names of any reporters who they have communicated with in the last six months.
"This is reaching absurd proportions," said Tim McGuire, an ethics professor at Arizona State University.
McGuire says Smith has "overstepped his bounds" and says Smith's demands are "terribly improper."
The County Attorney also wants to know if any of the employees have posted comments on conservative blogs like Sonoran Alliance, Cactus Alliance or Intellectual Conservative Arizona.
"In 41 years in practice as an attorney I've never seen anything as outrageous as this," said Special Assistant County Attorney Barnett Lotstein. "This is a frontal assault on the First Amendment."
It’s the timing of the letter that raises serious concerns.
Two members of the Board of Supervisors are currently under criminal investigation.
A grand jury has subpoenaed information regarding a new controversial court tower project that's costing taxpayers more than $300 million in cash.
Tim McGuire says the letter appears to be little more than a shell game aimed at distracting the public from what's really going on.
"If you keep the coconuts moving fast enough no body really pays attention to what's under them," said McGuire.
A county spokesperson told ABC15, “The letter has nothing to do with blocking the media access to the County Attorney’s Office. Instead, it has everything to do with a lawyer’s relationship with his or her client.”
