Noting Arizona's Secretary of State, for the first time in more than a decade, has not submitted criminal referrals for double voting in past elections, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has furnished an email calling for evidence of illegal voting.
The letter comes after Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs had requested Brnovich, a Republican, to investigate allegations allies of former President Donald Trump were pressuring election officials to "stop the counting" during the 2020 presidential election.
The political back-and-forth was reported by The Arizona Republic, as the state Senate held hearings this week on the forensic audit being conducted by an independent firm. Brnovich and Hobbs both have 2022 election campaigns for U.S. Senate and governor, respectively.
Brnovich's email to Hobbs was sent Wednesday by assistant Attorney General Jennifer Wright, who works for Brnovich's election integrity unit, before Thursday's Senate hearing on the top-line findings from the forensic audit in Maricopa County.
"The [attorney general] has not received any information from your office regarding potential double voting in the 2018 or 2020 election," Wright wrote in the email to Hobbs, obtained by the Republic, noting Hobbs withdrew from a program intended to ensure proper voting.
"Notably, this is the first time in over a decade the AGO has received no referrals from the Secretary of State regarding double voting."
"Additionally, please provide any and all records your office possesses related to potential violations of Arizona's election laws."
A Hobbs administration spokesperson told the Republic the delay in the referrals for double voting is delayed as it waits for a report from a national organization that works with other states to help identify potential incidents of double voting.
The Republic reported on claims Rudy Giuliani and Arizona GOP chairwoman Kelli Ward has reached out to Maricopa County officials amid allegations of election fraud, prompting Hobbs' letter to Brnovich last week.
Brnovich office declined to comment to requests for comment from the Republic, which noted not commenting on investigations is common.
Trump has been critical of Brnovich for not being vocal on the forensic audit of the Maricopa county 2020 elections.
Trump highlighted the top-line findings presented during Thursday's Senate hearing in a statement from his Save America PAC:
"Arizona Senate hearings on the Maricopa County Election Audit is devastating news to the Radical Left Democrats and the Biden Administration. While this, according to the Senate, is preliminary, with results being announced at a later date, it seems that 74,243 Mail-In Ballots were counted with 'no clear record of them being sent.' There were 18,000 voters who were scrubbed from the voter rolls after the election. They also revealed that the voting system was breached or hacked (by who?). Very big printer and ballot problems with different paper used, etc., and MUCH MORE."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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