Jo Pitzl
Arizona Republic
U.S. Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office as recently as May as part of his investigation into the events leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Smith’s office also talked to GOP lawmakers in the spring about events in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.
The inquiries highlight the key role Arizona played in the 2020 presidential election, where Joe Biden edged out Trump by 10,457 votes — the narrowest margin in the nation. The election has drawn ongoing scrutiny since the polls closed in November 2020, extending to a contentious state Senate review of Maricopa County’s presidential ballots and numerous lawsuits.
The subpoenas to the Secretary of State’s Office were not previously publicly known. They sought information related to two lawsuits, one from Trump’s campaign and another from former Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward, that alleged errors and fraud in the 2020 presidential results.
A spokesman for Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said the law firm of Coppersmith Brockelman, the outside counsel which represents the office, complied with the requests.
Despite Smith’s subpoenas to the secretary of state and lawmakers, the special counsel apparently has not reached out to former Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican who played a pivotal role in certifying that Joe Biden won the presidential race in Arizona.
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