PHOENIX (CN) — The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors asked Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Wednesday to correct the record after publishing controversial interim findings on the integrity of the 2020 election.
Brnovich’s interim findings, sent to the state Senate on April 6, cited concerns over signature verification, chain-of-custody procedures and the use of private money in the election.
The bipartisan board's letter to Brnovich comes after an executive session Wednesday during which the board and the county recorder unanimously decided to refute his findings with correspondence.
“It's disappointing that we have to write this in response to an office that saw fit to take no action for all of 2021 until the politics changed," said Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican, at the executive meeting Wednesday. "I have been so disappointed on so many levels with Republican electeds, Republican colleagues, Republican friends."
Richer told the board Brnovich's report caused his staff trouble and threats.
“But I've never been more disappointed than when somebody omits information, misstates information and besmirches the good name of the hard-working people in my office and reopens vitriol, hate and threats that they shouldn't have to deal with,” Richer said.
Later, the board questioned whether Brnovich released his report after pressure from his party and from former President Donald Trump.
Brnovich’s interim report came out just a few weeks after Donald Trump sent two messages to Brnovich urging him to find the evidence of fraud in Arizona.
Brnovich is running for U.S. Senate in a bid to challenge Democratic U.S Senator Mark Kelly in the 2022 midterm elections. Despite the state primary approaching in August, Trump has yet to endorse a GOP candidate for Kelly’s seat.
“He's trying to get elected,” said Supervisor Steve Gallardo, a Democrat, during the executive meeting. “That's what he's doing. He's reading the polls. He's trying to get voters to support him. So, he's continually pushing the Big Lie, knowing well that what he is saying and what the report that was put out is false.”
Polls in Arizona have Brnovich neck and neck with other Republican candidates running for the seat. An endorsement by Trump could push that candidate to the next level.
In the letter to Brnovich, the board said Brnovich was inconsistent with his messaging about the 2020 presidential election in Arizona.
“Your ‘interim report’ is inconsistent with your statement on Nov. 11, 2020, that ‘what really happened [is that] people split their ticket. That's the reality. Just because that happened doesn't mean it's fraud,’” the board wrote. “It is also inconsistent with your office's decision against filing any lawsuit following the election.”
Additionally, the letter outlines how the board plans to counter claims by Brnovich that it was uncooperative with the investigation and records requests. They also question an apparent lack of confidentiality within his office.
“Given your mischaracterization of Maricopa County's cooperation with your public records requests, we have asked the Maricopa County Attorney's Office to make a public records request of your office for all public records requests that have been transmitted to your office in the past two years, and if and when they were fulfilled,” the letter states. “We will also be sending a public records request to the Arizona Senate to try and understand how letters, communications, and/or findings from your investigation are known by members and/or staff of the Republican caucus.”
The board also attached a timeline of when it received records requests from the Attorney General's Office and when it complied with those requests.
In the letter, the board accused Brnovich of lying in an April podcast interview with Steve Bannon, Trump’s former political adviser. In the interview, Brnovich claimed the state used artificial intelligence to verify signatures.
“‘AI’ as you call it, was not used in the 2020 general election,” the board wrote. “That bears repeating. Signatures were reviewed by humans, not by artificial intelligence programs. But your office already knew that.”
In Brnovich’s report, sent to Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, he addressed the signature verification process of early ballots in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The election saw an overwhelming increase in early votes due to public safety concerns tied to the pandemic.
Brnovich saw the variations in numbers and signature trends as “concerning.”
The letter also addressed Brnovich’s allegations that $8 million in private grant money used by the Arizona Secretary of State, Maricopa County and Pima County was a “serious concern” legally.
“The use of private money by election officials is now prohibited by state statute,” the board wrote. “It was not during the 2020 election cycle. The auditor general report that was released on March 30, 2022, found the grant money was procured and spent appropriately.”
The letter calls on Brnovich to correct the record.
“Your use of an ‘interim report’ to score cheap political points is beneath your office,” the board wrote. “You spread misinformation and seed doubt, which has led to renewed threats and harassment of county election staff. Today, we call on you to correct the record. For the health of our democracy.”
Brnovich responded to the letter and board meeting in a statement sent to Courthouse News.
“While many people are frustrated, the important thing to remember is that we should all want the same thing – fair elections that maintain accuracy and promote public confidence," said Brnovich. "Hurling accusations and holding divisive press conferences will not move us any closer to that goal. Our interim report identifies serious issues that must be addressed before the 2022 election, and we are continuing our audit investigation.”
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