Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich recently announced that he would be opening an investigation into Maricopa County, one of the most controversial counties during the 2020 presidential election. The investigation comes over the county’s failure to comply with legislative subpoenas requested by Arizona State Sen. Sonny Borrelli.
AG Brnovich first sent a notice to the county requesting a written response from the Board of Supervisors about their failure to comply with the subpoenas for a variety of data. Senate President Karen Fann and Judiciary Committee Chairman Warren Peterson served the new subpoena after a month-long audit demanding router access and network logins.
This includes routers, passwords, reports, findings, and other documents that are concerning things on the voter registration server. It also includes ballot envelopes, usernames and passwords, pins, and security keys related to ballot devices, and all Maricopa County registered voter records to date. The subpoenas have also requested all routers used in connection with the election, as well as all Splunk logs, network logs, net flows, or similar data related to the election.
State Sen. Kelli Ward praised the investigation as a necessary “start” to unveil the massive voter fraud against former president Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
The Maricopa County tried to respond back that they are already in compliance with requiring auditors everything they need to get the job done. They also linked 2 of the audits performed by certified companies that the County hired.
“Our election professionals and Board members have complied w/Senate demands & supplied everything professional auditors would need to do their job. The County has made consistent efforts to meet Senate demands that were safe and supported by law. Of course, we can only provide what we actually have,” the County tweeted.
Maricopa County claimed that no routers have been connected to the Election Management System and that it would pose significant security risks to do so. They said they would not provide its network routers that are used to support over 50 departments and that all logs need to be independently assessed and provided to the Senate.
The County also said they would not release any of the voting machine data because it would be “reckless, causing irreparable damage to the commercial interests of the company and the election security interests of the country.” This includes usernames, passwords, and security keys, which are all considered “intellectual property” of Dominion.
But the AG is demanding they turn over their ballots, routers, and other records. He wrote in a letter that he will file an action in the Arizona Supreme Court if he finds that the County violated a provision of the state law or Constitution. He said they have failed to comply with “valid and enforceable legislative subpoenas.”
If the AG finds that the County violated state laws regarding the subpoenas, he will have 30 days to notify the county and resolve the violation. Failure to do so could result in a loss of state funds.
While some Democrats and Republicans have criticized the audits for having a basis in conspiracy theories, it’s becoming more clear that Maricopa County wants to dig deep whatever they’re hiding and that they’re willing to violate a few state laws to do it. You only hide something when you’re guilty. Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous county, has nothing but a stack of subpoenas and some trouble ahead.