While the Republican-held Arizona Senate is mostly backing the forensic audit of Maricopa County, former President Donald Trump is calling out a "RINO" for "doing everything in his power" to obstruct it.
Trump wrote in a statement Thursday from his Save America PAC:
"Republican Arizona State Sen. Paul Boyer, a RINO if there ever was one, is doing everything in his power to hold up the damning Forensic Audit of Maricopa County which has been taking place over the last 90 days. The people of Arizona are demanding it. Boyer has been nothing but trouble, and nobody knows why. All we demand is Voter Integrity!"
RINO, an acronym for Republican in name only, is used by some to describe GOP lawmakers who break from the party on certain issues. Trump often uses it to label his critics in Congress, although this one is an Arizona lawmaker.
Trump stopped short of endorsing a primary candidate, but he did mention former Arizona state GOP Rep. Anthony Kern as a "strong and highly respected challenger'' to Boyer in Glendale, Arizona's District 20.
"He is being primaried by a strong and highly respected challenger, former Arizona State Rep. Anthony Kern," Trump's statement concluded.
It was unclear what prompted Trump's remarks, but Boyer did initially back the forensic audit in the spring, before criticizing it to The New York Times in May.
"Looking back, I didn't think it would be this ridiculous," Boyer told the Times. "It's embarrassing to be a state senator at this point."
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.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.