According to a report from the AZ Mirror, a political action committee linked to Arizona charter school executive and conservative philanthropist Glenn Way is under investigation by Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office for past contributions to Republican legislative candidates.

Way, CEO of Charter One LLC and founder of the American Leadership Academy charter school network, is one of the largest advocates for educational freedom and school choice in the nation. Way chairs the Educational Freedom Fund PAC, a pro-education freedom group that supported Republican candidates in the 2022 and 2024 elections.

The complaint that allegedly launched the investigation against Way alleges that the donations made from the group in 2024 amounted to violations of campaign finance law. Herrera Arellano LLP, a law firm closely affiliated with Democrats, filed the complaint on behalf of Kerry Baker in early 2025.

Herrera Arellano is a Phoenix firm whose attorneys have handled election and political matters frequently aligned with Democratic interests, including nomination challenges and other litigation involving Republican candidates. Baker, the named complainant, works as an “organizational consultant” for the Arizona Education Association (AEA), the state’s major teachers’ union. The AEA, an affiliate of the National Education Association, has long opposed charter schools and school-choice programs of the kind Way has advocated for. The AEA is considered a left-wing organization; its website lists "taking on institutional racism" as one of the initiatives the union is targeting.

According to the AZ Mirror, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office confirmed the investigation into the Educational Freedom Fund is ongoing but declined further comment. Attorneys for the PAC have argued the contributions were legal or, at worst, the result of an inadvertent technical error by the group's then-treasurer, Youssef Khalaf, who has since been fired. The lawyers stated the committee did not intentionally circumvent disclosure rules and has since hired a compliance firm to strengthen practices. They requested the complaint be dismissed.

Mayes’ record has fueled allegations that the probe is blatantly partisan. Her office has joined or led 48 different lawsuits against the Trump administration since early 2025, making legal resistance to the president and conservative policies a signature feature of her tenure. At the same time, Mayes declined to bring charges against fellow Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs after a two-year investigation following pay-to-play allegations. Mayes concluded there was no evidence of a quid pro quo in that case, leading Republicans to denounce the decision as partisan fixing that protected a political ally.

The PAC donated $1,000 each to roughly two dozen Republican candidates, including figures such as Ben Toma, David Livingston, Warren Petersen, J.D. Mesnard, and others. According to the AZ Mirror's report, the Attorney General's probe is actively underway, though Real Truth Media was unable to independently confirm the veracity of this claim.