Federal Grand Jury Investigates Arizona 2020 Election Audit
A renewed focus on the 2020 Arizona election audit has emerged as a federal grand jury issues subpoenas related to the examination of Maricopa County’s election results. This inquiry revives interest in an audit that had already been discredited.
Senate President Warren Petersen disclosed on social media that he had received and complied with a federal grand jury subpoena for records tied to the Senate’s audit of the 2020 election results in Maricopa County, where Joe Biden emerged victorious over Donald Trump. “The FBI has the records,” Petersen confirmed, yet refrained from further comments.
This development follows a recent FBI action in Fulton County, Georgia, where they seized records from the 2020 election, another state where Trump faced defeat. These actions coincide with Trump’s persistent allegations of electoral fraud and his calls for a Department of Justice investigation.
Governor Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes, both Democrats, expressed disapproval of the federal investigation. Hobbs emphasized, “Arizonans are tired of election conspiracies and lies that undermine our democracy,” highlighting that Arizona’s election integrity has been affirmed through various lawsuits and audits. She criticized the FBI’s actions as undermining the rights of Arizona voters.
Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, had previously scrutinized the findings presented by Cyber Ninjas in the audit report. The report claimed that 282 deceased individuals had voted in the November 2020 election, a claim Brnovich’s investigation largely debunked. “Our agents investigated all individuals that Cyber Ninjas reported as dead,” Brnovich stated. “Many were very surprised to learn they were allegedly deceased.” Only one out of the 282 listed was actually deceased.
Brnovich’s examination extended beyond Cyber Ninjas’ report, involving the investigation of 409 additional names from other sources and a separate list of 5,943 names without clarity on voter status. These investigations revealed minimal genuine cases, with some claims being outright absurd, such as mismatched names and dates of death post-election.
Further, a hand count of 2.1 million Maricopa County ballots by the audit found that Biden’s margin over Trump was even greater than initially recorded. Attorney General Mayes referenced these findings, noting the lack of factual evidence supporting the allegations brought to the AG’s office.
Mayes criticized Petersen, who had co-chaired the audit oversight and is now a candidate for attorney general, for his persistent denial of the 2020 election results. She accused the current federal inquiry of being a misuse of law enforcement resources, branding it as “the weaponization of federal law enforcement in service of crackpots and lies.”
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