Arizona’s Secretary of State Wants Trump Investigated Over Election Efforts

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs wants the state Attorney General to investigate former President Donald Trump and his allies for pressuring Maricopa officials to interfere with the 2020 Presidential election.

Hobbs wrote a letter to Arizona Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich expressing her concern about phone calls and texts that were sent from President Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Kelli Ward to the chairman of Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Clint Hicks and Supervisor Bill Gates. Hobbs believes that Trump and his team could have committed a crime. She says that their messages were “clear efforts to induce supervisors to refuse to comply with their duties.”

“As you know, you are charged by statute to enforce the provisions of Title 16. In Arizona, any person who “knowingly interferes in any manner with an officer of such election in the discharge of the officer’s duty, or who induces an officer of an election or officer whose duty it is to ascertain, announce or declare the result of such election, to violate or refuse to comply with the officer’s duty or any law regulating the election has violated Title 16 and is guilty of a class 5 felony,” Hobbs wrote in the letter.

“Arizona law protects election officials from those who would seek to interfere with their sacred duties to ascertain and certify the will of the voters,” Hobbs wrote in a letter that was shared on Twitter. “I urge you to take action not only to seek justice in this instance, but to prevent future attempts to interfere with the integrity of our elections.”

On Monday, Hicks described his reaction to getting a phone call from the White House with Michael Smerconish on CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time.”

“I was horrified,” Hicks, a Trump supporter, said. “I listened to the phone call, and I read the transcript and I thought, this is not what I’m used to. After seeing what was going on in Georgia, as I’ve said clearly, if I’m not willing to tape a President, I’m not willing to talk to a President.”

In January, audio of a telephone conversation between President Trump and Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was published by The Washington Post. In the phone call, President Trump asks Raffensperger to “find him votes.”

“But they are shredding ballots, in my opinion, based on what I’ve heard. And they are removing machinery and they’re moving it as fast as they can, both of which are criminal finds. And you can’t let it happen and you are letting it happen. You know, I mean, I’m notifying you that you’re letting it happen. So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have…,” the former President said in the leaked phone calls.

“The people of Georgia know that this was a scam, and because of what you’ve done to the president, a lot of people aren’t going out to vote [in the runoffs],” President Trump said during a call with Raffensperger. “A lot of Republicans are going to vote negative because they hate what you did to the president.”

Last Christmas Eve, Gates received a voice message from President Trump’s personal attorney Giuliani.

“If you get a chance, would you please give me a call,” Giuliani said in one message. “I have a few things I’d like to talk over with you. Maybe we can get this thing fixed up. You know, I really think it’s a shame that Republicans sort of are both in this kind of situation. And I think there may be a nice way to resolve this for everybody.”

Giuliani is suspended from practicing law in New York and Washington D.C. and is under investigation for interfering with the election.

A text message exchange between Supervisor Jack Sellers and Ward reveals that Ward committed a blatant crime. “We need you to stop the counting,” she texted.

Hobbs ended the letter urging Brnovich to take action.

“I urge you to take action not only to seek justice in this instance, but to prevent future attempts to interfere with the integrity of our elections. If your ethical duties prevent you from investigating this matter, I ask that you refer it to another enforcement agency.”

Last month, Hobbs announced her candidacy for Arizona Governor in 2022.

 

About RavenH

Raven Haywood is a journalist for 10+ years. Graduate from Howard University.

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