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topicnews · October 17, 2024

Arizona’s 2020 election investigation is ongoing. What you should know

Arizona’s 2020 election investigation is ongoing. What you should know

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The Arizona attorney general’s office is continuing its criminal investigation into a plot to keep former President Donald Trump in power four years ago, and future charges are possible, prosecutors said in a new court filing.

“The government’s investigation into the events surrounding the 2020 election is ongoing,” Assistant Attorney General Krista Wood wrote in court papers on October 11.

“The attempts to keep former President Trump in power relied on the efforts and actions of many people, not all of whom have been indicted, and the State is still in the process of obtaining and/or reviewing extensive material that he received during his investigation.”

The targets “may be the subject of further investigation and possible future criminal charges,” Wood wrote in the filing objecting to a request by the Arizona Republic to unseal the grand jury transcripts.

Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office had previously said the investigation was continuing even after a state grand jury indicted 11 Arizona Republicans and seven Trump associates in the conspiracy in April. The grand jury considered indicting Trump in the case, but prosecutors urged them to consider not doing so.

The latest filing confirms that the investigation into Mayes is ongoing just weeks before another election that could see Trump return to the White House.

Original story: The grand jury indicts fake voters who falsely certified Donald Trump as the 2020 winner in Arizona

The Republic asked the court to release the grand jury transcripts

The Republic and azcentral.com filed a motion last month on behalf of their holding company, Phoenix Newspapers Inc., asking the court to release grand jury transcripts in which certain information, including jurors’ names, were redacted.

The news organization sought the transcripts and argued that public interest in the high-profile election case was more important than a precedent that prioritized grand jury secrecy. The Republic noted that the records could shed light not only on the high-profile prosecution, but also on defendants’ claims that the case was politically motivated.

“The public’s right to know what happened in this taxpayer-funded trial with serious implications for our nation’s democracy overrides any possible interest in secrecy,” wrote attorney Matthew Kelley, representing Republic.

Excerpts from grand jury transcripts have been cited in previous court filings, and releasing redacted copies would protect grand jurors and witnesses from harassment, Kelley wrote. The attorney general’s office did not object to the release of transcripts in a separate election case against two Cochise County supervisors who voted to delay certification of the 2022 election results.

But in this case, prosecutors argued that the logs should be withheld, pointing out in part that the investigation is ongoing and the logs “contain information that is not generally known.” Publishing the transcripts would be “contrary to both the interests of justice and the principles underlying grand jury secrecy,” Wood wrote.

These principles include preventing victims of a case from escaping prosecution, curbing harassment of jurors, and protecting witnesses and exonerated persons. Wood wrote that the Republic had not explained why the public’s interest in the case could not be satisfied by attending open court hearings and reviewing records.

Who are you? Five unindicted co-conspirators are described in the Arizona fraud voter case.

Mayes launched an investigation into Arizona’s second group of voters

Mayes, who took office in early 2023, soon launched an investigation into attempts to pressure Arizona officials to stand in the way of Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state.

That investigation led to the grand jury indictment earlier this year. The case is moving forward, several defendants have filed motions to dismiss the charges, and two defendants have resolved their cases. A trial is scheduled for 2026.

Grand jury protocols previously became an issue when a defense attorney for Christina Bobb included the jurors’ names in a document that was publicly filed.

The leaked names were removed from the public court records system, and Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen ultimately issued an order protecting the names from further disclosure when defense attorneys received copies of grand jury transcripts.

Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at [email protected] or 480-416-5669.

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