Arizona AG on Meadows, Giuliani Indictments: ‘I Will Not Allow American Democracy To Be Undermined’

MAYES: “Hi, I’m Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. Let me start by thanking everyone for your patience as we conducted a thorough and professional investigation over the past 13 months into the fake electoral scheme in our state. I understand for some of you today didn’t come fast enough and I know I’ll be criticized by others for conducting this investigation at all. But as I have stated before, and we’ll say here again today, I will not allow American democracy to be undermined. It’s too important.

The investigators and attorneys assigned to this case took the necessary time to thoroughly piece together the details of the events that began nearly four years ago. They follow the facts where they lead and I’m very proud of the work they’ve done to date. We’re here because justice demands an answer to the efforts that the defendants and other unindicted co-conspirators allegedly took to undermine the will of Arizona’s voters during the 2020 presidential election.

Arizona’s election was free and fair. The people of Arizona elected President Biden. Unwilling to accept this fact the defendants charged by the state grand jury, allegedly schemed to prevent the lawful transfer of the presidency. Whatever their reasoning was, the plot to violate the law must be answered for and I was elected to uphold the law of this state. The scheme had it succeeded would have deprived Arizona’s voters of their right to have their votes counted for their chosen president. It effectively would have made their right to vote meaningless.

After the general election on November 3rd, 2020 the defendants and other unindicted co-conspirators raised false claims of widespread voter fraud in Arizona to pressure elections officials to change the outcome of a transparent free and fair democratic election. Those efforts ultimately failed when officials stood firm, followed their statutory duties and officially certified Arizona’s election on November 30th, 2020. The defendant Republican presidential electors allegedly plotting with additional defendants then voted for Mr. Trump and Vice President Pence on December 14th 2020, falsely claiming to be the duly elected and qualified electors for president and vice president of the United States from the state of Arizona.

These defendants deceived the citizens of Arizona by falsely claiming that those votes were contingent only on a legal challenge that would change the outcome of the election. In reality, the defendants intended that the false votes for Trump and Pence would encourage Vice President Pence to reject the certified Biden-Harris electors votes regardless of the result of any legal challenge. As you will recall, None of the legal challenges filed in Arizona state and federal courts regarding the 2020 election were remotely successful at any stage of the case.

When combined with the six other states where Republican electors sent in uncertified votes for Trump-Pence, the defendants wanted Pence to declare Mr. Trump the outright winner of the election or to send the vote back to friendly legislators that would have certified Trump-Pence as the winner of the election. That scheme failed when Vice President Pence upheld the rule of law and accepted all certified Biden-Harris votes on January 6th, 2021. A state grand jury made up of everyday regular Arizonans has now handed down felony indictments for all 11 Republican electors as well as several others connected to this scheme.

These charges include fraud, forgery, and conspiracy. These charges are class two, four and five felonies. These are serious indictments. But this is the first hurdle the state must pass in our constitutional criminal justice system. We intend to prove these crimes were committed beyond a reasonable doubt. However, it must be remembered that the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and convicted by a jury of their peers.

Though it is important to tell Arizonans about the grand jury indictments against these defendants our office will continue its investigation into the efforts to illegally subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election. Please understand that any additional information provided by my office on this investigation will be limited and brief and based on the information currently outlined in the indictments as we move forward in prosecuting this case. We look forward to presenting our evidence in court and hope for a quick, fair and deliberate resolution that will best serve the interests of justice. I ask that everyone respects this process. Thank you.”