Utah attorney general drops reelection bid amid scrutiny about his ties to a sexual assault...

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, who is facing scrutiny for his decadelong friendship with the embattled founder of an anti-child-trafficking organization, announced Friday that he will not seek reelection in 2024.

The Republican had announced in September that he would seek a fourth term. Reyes is now backtracking on that decision and has pledged to dedicate his final year in office to investigating the sex abuse claims against his longtime friend, Tim Ballard.

Ballard, the now-ousted founder of nonprofit Operation Underground Railroad, has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women and is the subject of a criminal investigation. His organization rose to prominence last summer as a focal point of the film “Sound of Freedom,” which was widely praised by conservative moviegoers and included a producer credit for the attorney general.