Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, revealed on Wednesday that 11 individuals have been indicted for engaging in fraudulent activities. These individuals allegedly signed a document in 2020 claiming to be electors for former President Donald Trump, despite the fact that he lost the state’s election.
Republican state Senators Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern are among the individuals who have been indicted.
Kelli Ward, the former Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman, along with her husband Michael Ward, Tyler Bowyer, the Chief Operating Officer of Turning Point Action, Loraine Pellegrino, former Senate candidate Jim Lamon, Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, and Greg Safsten have all been indicted.
Mayes said that there were others who were indicted, but their names will not be released until they have been served with the necessary papers.
“I will not let American Democracy be undermined,” stated Mayes passionately in a video comment. “Our presence here is driven by a desire for justice, seeking answers for the actions that the defendants and other unindicted co-conspirators are alleged to have taken in order to undermine the voice of Arizona’s voters during the 2020 presidential election.”
In December 2020, the individuals involved convened at the Arizona state GOP headquarters and proceeded to sign a certificate asserting their status as Arizona’s electors. This certificate was subsequently sent to Congress. It is worth noting that President Joe Biden emerged as the victor in the state, securing a lead of 10,457 votes. Republican Governor Doug Ducey and other state officials duly certified these results.
Indictments have not only been made in Arizona but also in other swing states that Trump lost in 2020. Similar charges have been brought against “alternate electors” in Nevada, Michigan, and Georgia.
After the publication, Hoffman issued a statement.
Senator Hoffman expressed his frustration with Kris Mayes, stating that she had made accusations without evidence before conducting an investigation. He criticized her for declaring her intention to get Biden re-elected and for allegedly using the Attorney General’s office to indict her Republican political opponents long after other Democrat prosecutors had made their decisions. He emphasized his innocence, vowed to defend himself vigorously, and expressed his hope that the judicial process would ultimately vindicate him from what he perceived as a politically motivated persecution.