Republicans in Arizona face a newly initiated inquiry by the state’s attorney general regarding their purported endeavors to overturn the results of the 2020 general election. State Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, reportedly assigned prosecutors to the case in May, as per The Washington Post.
The investigation appears to center around 22 Republicans who signed and transmitted official documents asserting themselves as the state’s chosen electors for former President Donald Trump in the electoral college.
The investigation, currently in its information-gathering phase, was described by Ms. Mayes’s chief deputy, Dan Barr, according to The Detroit News. While it remains undisclosed whether subpoenas have been issued, the report mentioned that the specific state statutes believed to have been violated have not been revealed by the state.
Notably, at present, the criminal investigation does not target former President Donald Trump, as reported by The Daily Wire. However, this may change if new evidence emerges during the course of the case.
Similar criminal inquiries are underway in Michigan, where prosecutors are examining alleged attempts by Republicans to overturn the election results in that state.
According to The Washington Post, Arizona’s case alleges that one set of documents was signed by GOP activists, while another set was signed by the state’s Republican Party Chair, Kelli Ward, and other high-profile Republicans. The investigators have already reached out to many of the individuals who are said to have signed the documents, as well as their legal representatives.
In a separate report from The Washington Post, it was suggested earlier this month that Mr. Trump had attempted to pressure then-Arizona Governor Doug Ducey into overturning the state’s presidential election results. The report further claimed that Trump repeatedly urged Vice President Mike Pence to contact Governor Ducey and persuade him to find evidence supporting his claims.
“I don’t remember any pressure,” Pence told CBS News, adding he checked in with governors across the nation whose states “were going through the legal process of reviewing their election results.”
