On Wednesday, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs asked Attorney General Mark Brnovich to open a criminal investigation into alleged efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to pressure election officials in Maricopa County in November as the ballots were still being counted.
According to The Hill, Hobbs sent an email to Brnovich – which was shared on Twitter – cited reporting by the Arizona Republic, which detailed attempts by the former president to contact Republican Maricopa Supervisor Clint Hickman on two separate occasions following the election.
USA Today is reporting that according to the Arizona Republic’s reporting, the messages came from the White House; Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney at the time; Sidney Powell, a lawyer working for Trump; and state Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward.
In her email, Hobbs also mentioned a report that on November 7, as the votes were being counted, Kelli Ward told the chairman of the Board of Supervisors, “We need you to stop the counting,” and later reportedly told him, “I know you don’t want to be remembered as the guy who led the charge to certify a fraudulent election.”
Hobbs, a Democrat who is running for governor next year, went on to remind Brnovich, a Republican who is running for a Senate seat next year, that “as you said just last week, ‘Fair elections are the cornerstone of our republic, and they start with rational laws that protect both the right to vote and the accuracy of the results.”
Hobbs asked Brnovich to refer her request for an investigation to another law enforcement agency if his ethical duties prevent him from investigating the matter.
