Lawyer who's worked with Kari Lake, Paul Gosar and Sarah Palin set for new job in AZ government

The Arizona Corporation Commission has hired as the agency’s general counsel the headline-grabbing former lawyer for Sarah Palin and current chief of staff for Congressman Paul Gosar.

Thomas Van Flein, who’s worked for Gosar since 2011, will be responsible for providing counsel to the agency's five commissioners and overseeing all legal questions that might come up, from issues reviewed by the commission to human resources duties.

Gosar, who tapped Van Flein as a staffer after being elected in 2010, is one of Arizona's most incendiary conservative politicians and a prime instigator of the "Stop the Steal" movement that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. Gosar's been reprimanded by fellow party members for mingling with a white supremacist and was censured in 2021 by a Democratic-controlled House for a cartoon video his office posted of Gosar killing liberal Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a sword.

Van Flein also served as an advisor for Kari Lake during her unsuccessful run for governor in 2022.

He'd previously worked as a personal lawyer and advisor for Palin, the former Alaska governor and the vice-president candidate in 2008 picked by the late Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Van Flein declined comment for this article.

But Tom Forese, a former Republican lawmaker who also served on the commission from 2014 to 2018, said Van Flein isn't likely to attempt to bring politics into the general counsel position.

"If he did that, he wouldn't last long," Forese said. "What someone could assume, when they see a far-right member’s chief of staff is coming, they could assume that chief of staff embodies that same reputation as the member, and I just don't think that's the case."

Forese said Van Flein, who he considers a friend, took the job because his wife is pregnant and he wants to move back to Arizona.

Van Flein is known "as a deal-maker that gets along with everybody," Forese said, adding that he played a strong role in Biden's signing of a Gosar bill last year that declared an official end to the COVID-19 emergency.

Van Flein was born in Fairbanks, Alaska. He graduated with a law degree from the University of Arizona before returning to his home state to practice law.

Several media reports about Van Flein said he came to work for Gosar because he performed legal work for Rob Robinson, an Alaska dentist who ran Gosar's 2010 campaign and secured Palin's endorsement of Gosar. The congressman, also a dentist, hired Robinson as chief of staff and Van Flein as deputy chief of staff. Van Flein later became Gosar's general counsel and chief of staff.

"While I am saddened that Tom is stepping down as Chief of Staff, the Arizona Corporate Commission is gaining an exceptional lawyer and a dedicated professional," Gosar told The Arizona Republic. He added that his previous deputy chief of staff, Leslie Foti, will replace Van Flein's position.

Van Flein is licensed as an attorney in Alaska and has an inactive license in California. He's in the process of getting his license in Arizona, said Nicole Garcia, spokesperson for the corporation commission.

Van Flein was one of several candidates who replied to a posting about the job, she said. He's scheduled to start the job on March 4 and will make a salary of $190,000 annually, plus benefits.

"His experience in utility and construction law made his resume stand out over other applicants," Garcia said.

The agency is led by five elected commissioners, who are currently made up of four Republicans and a Democrat.

Reach the reporter at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: AZ Corporation Commission hires Gosar's chief of staff as lead legal counsel