Arizona: State AG Investigating Clerks Who Refused To Certify 2022 Elections as Kari Lake Gets Accused of Antisemitic Ties
Two Arizona clerks who refused to certify the results of the 2022 elections where Republican Kari Lake lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs for governor are now getting investigated over it.
These two clerks are officials from Cochise County, a rural area in Arizona that leans heavily Republican. Much like candidate Kari Lake, the two clerks refused to accept the results and thus refused to certify them. This resulted in Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes launching an investigation into their actions as several court cases have found no evidence of the fraud that Kari Lake and her benefactor, Donald Trump, had been claiming.
County supervisors Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby are the two officials being investigated by the Arizona AG. Both are Republicans and have confirmed to the Associated Press that they received subpoenas to appear before a grand jury.
It does not mention why the two Cochise County clerks are being summoned, however, with Crosby telling the AP, "I could only guess. But why ask when you can ask the attorney general."
Meanwhile, Judd said she was shocked to get subpoenaed as the incident happened almost a year ago.
"I don't feel like I broke a law. But, obviously, the courts had different feelings," she said.
Local Officials Created Chaos in 2022 Elections by Not Certifying Ballots, Including Arizona
While the results of the 2022 midterm elections are now official, and those who won their races are serving their seats, that election was thrown into chaos after several conservative officials in North Carolina, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico refused to certify the ballot.
READ MORE: Arizona Supreme Court Rejects Most of Kari Lake's Appeal Over Gubernatorial Race
Alice Clapman, a senior counsel in election law at the Brennan Center for Justice, told ProPublica that these local officials could create some problems all the way up the chain because of their actions.
"And in that chaos, you have more room for political interference," she warned.
The election law expert added that officials who refuse to certify outcomes "can violate state laws and can amplify and validate harmful misinformation that feeds election denialism because of the imprimatur of the officials' offices," even if their refusals ultimately do not affect the outcome of the election, as was shown during in 2022.
"There needs to be some sanction when there is lawlessness," said University of California, Los Angeles election law professor Richard L. Hasen. "If you allow these things to take place without any sanction, then you invite more serious rule-breaking in the future."
Kari Lake Called Out Over Antisemitic Connections
Meanwhile, one of the proponents of the 2022 election chaos, Kari Lake, is getting blasted over her connections with people with a long history of antisemitism and racism. This comes as the Israel-Hamas War drags on.
The Arizona Republic reported that Lake had had a history of associating and embracing antisemitic media figures and politicians, such as Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, who has been linked to Neo-Nazi, and renowned antisemite, Nick Fuentes. Gosar posted materials from an extremist website that praised Hitler and called the Holocaust "the Holohoax."
Lake also regards Arizona Republican State Sen. Wendy Rogers as a "hero." Rogers is a friend of Fuentes and has been known for spreading QAnon conspiracy theories.
READ MORE: Kari Lake Election Trial Ends But She Failed to Present Evidence Back Election Fraud Claims
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Kari Lake loses again trying to overturn election loss - MSNBC
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!