SW Arizona News

Representative John Gillette (R-AZ) has voiced criticism of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, following her announcement that two board supervisors have been indicted by a Grand Jury for questioning the 2022 election results in Arizona. These indictments add a new level of controversy to an already fraught political climate.

Gillette recalls the actions of these supervisors: "I recall they acted under the advice of the previous AG," he stated. Furthermore, he proposed drastic financial measures in light of this dispute: "We better cut the budget to ZERO until this is adjudicated." He also emphasized the potential conflicts inherent in this situation: "One of you is wrong. Either Mayes and her pronouns or Brno and his SCOTUS wins". Lastly, expressing disapproval over their indictment for scrutinizing votes, Gillette added, "Indicted for counting votes... a shame."

Mayes announced that Cochise County Supervisors Peggy S. Judd, 61, and Terry Thomas "Tom" Crosby, 64, are facing Class 5 felonies for contesting the outcomes of the 2022 Arizona election. The supervisors initially declined to certify the results particularly concerning races where Democratic candidates narrowly won—including Mayes herself. This refusal prompted a court order due to lack of evidence supporting their stance. According to local media outlet 12 News, both Judd and Crosby chose to comply after judicial intervention.

Following these indictments, concerns have arisen about Attorney General Mayes potentially misusing her power. Senator Jake Hoffman (R-AZ) along with other Republican lawmakers expressed such apprehensions: "Make no mistake; this is ELECTION INTERFERENCE by an extremist AG who wants to chill any future efforts by local election officials to challenge potentially inaccurate elections," Hoffman said via platform X. He added that the precedent being set could be dangerously significant.

Responding to these accusations, Mayes stated: "The repeated attempts to undermine our democracy are unacceptable," according to a press release from her office. She pledged to uphold the rule of law and promised that her office will "continue to enforce Arizona’s elections laws and support our election officials as they carry out the duties and responsibilities of their offices."

Meanwhile, Rep. Rachel Jones has questioned the lack of response from other Republicans: "O.K. Arizona House Republicans and Arizona Senate Republican, what are we going to do about Kris Mayes weaponizing the AG's office against AZ citizens?" she queried on platform X. Jones warned that if no action is taken, "the trajectory will only spiral downward."

Since the November 2022 results, Republican lawmakers have levied numerous allegations about a flawed election process. Notably, former Republican candidate for attorney general Abe Hamadeh and ex-Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake prominently voiced their concerns. Hamadeh narrowly lost to Mayes by a margin of just 280 votes, as reported by the Arizona Daily Independent.