The controversy between the Governor of Arizona Doug Ducey and Nike took a new turn after he was recently spotted wearing their sneakers, with many accusing him of hypocrisy.

The governor was seen wearing a pair of Nike sneakers on July 4 -- just two days after he blasted the company for pulling their Betsy Ross flag shoes, AZ Family reports.

The Republican governor was photographed at an outdoor event, wearing shoes with the trademark Nike swoosh before the Coconino County Democrats posted the picture on social media. "Wow, @dougducey standing on principal wearing his Nikes for the 4TH of July. #nikeboycott #Nike," the County Democratic Party tweeted.

The Republican governor was photographed at an outdoor event, wearing shoes with the trademark Nike swoosh before the Coconino County Democrats posted the picture on social media. (Twitter)

Several critics of Ducey have now accused him of hypocrisy after the governor rescinded $1 million of taxpayer funds earlier intended to incentivize Nike to create a new factory in Goodyear. "I think it's a further example, that again, this was a decision completely on political grounds, not on any real merit," said Roy Herrera, a Democratic political consultant.

That said, a spokesman for the governor's office said the accusations were rather extraneous. "Really? Yes, the governor owns Nikes. Stop the presses," said Patrick Ptak. "The governor didn't call for a boycott. He didn't even say the company wasn't welcome to do business in Arizona."

Ducey rebuked the athletic company on Tuesday with a string of late-night tweets that inspired a morning news cycle along the East Coast. The governor was rather miffed after Nike announced it was pulling their sneakers featuring the erstwhile 13 stars for the 13 original colonies -- also known as the Betsy Ross Flag after its maker -- on the heel of the shoe.

"Words cannot express my disappointment at this terrible decision. I am embarrassed for Nike," Ducey wrote among his social media comments. Marcus Dell'Artino, a Republican political consultant, dismissed the accusations saying the governor was only wearing the sneakers for "convenience."

"Those shoes are not new. I don't think he gave them any new money. I think those shoes are hold-overs from quite some time ago," Dell'Artino said.

However, the future of the previously planned Nike factory is uncertain. Nonetheless, the mayor of Goodyear said the city is still looking forward to the deal that would generate over 500 jobs and boost their economic activity tremendously.

At the same time, Nike said they were still committed to creating jobs. Meanwhile, the Democratic governors of New Mexico and California are attempting to lure Nike to build the new plant in their states instead.

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