Phoenix, Arizona – A grand jury in Arizona has issued subpoenas to Republicans involved in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election by submitting falsified paperwork claiming that Donald Trump won the state’s 11 electoral votes. The exact number of subpoenas issued to the Trump electors is unclear, but most of the 11 individuals received the legal documents on Wednesday. The subpoenas request that each of the Republicans testify before the grand jury regarding their role in the elector plan.
These subpoenas come as part of a year-long investigation led by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. Mayes, a Democrat, has indicated that her office is nearing the conclusion of the criminal probe. Earlier on Wednesday, Politico reported that several individuals linked to Trump’s 2020 campaign had also been subpoenaed as part of the Arizona investigation.
One individual who appears to be a focus of the subpoenas is Kenneth Chesebro, an architect of the elector plan who met with Arizona investigators in December. Other Republicans with knowledge of the plan have been contacted as part of the inquiry. The Trump campaign has yet to comment on the subpoenas.
The investigation in Arizona is part of a broader legal effort to hold pro-Trump electors accountable for their actions in other states such as Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada. While Arizona is a politically competitive state, Trump lost it by approximately 11,000 votes in the 2020 election.
The recent subpoenas in Arizona were issued in the wake of a legal settlement in Wisconsin that made public new documents related to the elector strategy. The settlement compelled individuals involved in the plan, including Chesebro and James Troupis, who oversaw Trump’s legal efforts in Wisconsin, to release emails and text messages detailing their work after the 2020 election. These records shed light on the coordination among Republicans in multiple states to falsely claim that Trump had won.
Chesebro’s records reveal his communication with then-State Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, the party’s executive director, Trump campaign officials, and others involved in the plan. He provided instructions on how to carry out the scheme, including sealing and transmitting envelopes containing the falsified paperwork. Two days before the gathering of Arizona Republicans, Ward emailed various individuals connected to Trump’s campaign, indicating her commitment to achieving their goals.
As Mayes’ investigation in Arizona deepens, it poses potential legal challenges for Republicans in a state where Trump narrowly lost in 2020. Trump himself faces multiple criminal cases, to which he has pleaded not guilty. One of these cases, related to hush money payments made to a porn star, is set to go to trial this month, while the others have faced delays and may or may not begin before the upcoming election.