That didn’t take long. One day after a judge ordered the two recalcitrant Cochise County Supervisors to certify the county’s election, which they did later in the day, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs’ office has sent a criminal referral to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
Cochise County Supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd knowingly violated state law and should be investigated for potential criminal and civil offenses for delaying the canvass of the general election results, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs' office stated in a referral to Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
[If you hit a paywall, here’s another story.]
It’s unlikely Brnovich’s office will do anything, since he’s trying to stay relevant with trumpers after pissing them off by not embracing the Big Lie. His Assistant AG isn’t likely to start an investigation either, since she’s an election denier herself who tweets all kinds of conspiracy garbage. Still, other red Arizona counties considered withholding their certification—not because they had evidence of election fraud, but because they objected to the Democratic victories—so Hobbs’ action sends a clear message: Don’t! (Had Mark Finchem won the SoS race, he’d send them a commendation.)
Whether Brnovich acts doesn’t matter too much, because AG-elect Kris Mayes will make the decision to investigate after she assumes office in January, and she already said she would. (The AG race remains in a recount with Mayes leading.)
The letter from the Secretary of State, which you can read here, cites chapter and verse from the state’s Election Procedures Manual, detailing evidence that shows the two supervisors’ actions were unlawful, and they knew it—going so far as to tell reporters that the only reason they were withholding their certification was to make a political statement. In other words, they knew the “rigged election” bullshit they were throwing around—encouraged by Kari Lake and other Republicans—was hogwash, but it was hogwash that could change election results and result in prosecutions.
Supervisor Peggy Judd originally said she would vote to certify, then the day of the certification last week she changed to a “no,” joining Republican Tom Crosby, and the 2-1 tally to not certify threw the entire state’s election into chaos, just like Kari Lake wanted. Who “got to” Judd to change her vote is anyone’s guess, but yesterday the law and reality caught up with the rattled Jan. 6 participant and QAnon grandmother of 20, staring at a contempt charge, and she voted yes.
Tom Crosby did not attend yesterday’s meeting, on advice of a new attorney who the county finally hired just hours before yesterday’s hearing. The Cochise County attorney and others who were interviewed turned them down because, as the county attorney said, You’re breaking the law and I’m not going to defend it. I’d be curious to know what kind of “advice” the new lawyer gave Crosby, essentially telling him to ignore the oath he swore.
After yesterday’s 11th Circuit ruling and the two court rulings in Arizona—the Cochise County order and Maricopa County sanctioning Lake and Finchem’s lawyers for filing frivolous lawsuits, there must be a river of ketchup on the walls at Mar-a-Lago.
Expect an unhinged, out-of-focus video from Kari Lake, begging for donations so she can fight on for a new election. Yesterday the loser Lake called Governor-elect Katie Hobbs a “tyrant” for suing Cochise County after the supervisors refused to certify the election: “This is the behavior of a tyrant. Not a leader. Arizona doesn’t have to accept this.”
The election said otherwise. Most Arizonans are relieved the bullshit was smacked down and are more than happy to “accept this,” i.e., the law working.