NEW—Maricopa Co seeks sanctions against Kari Lake and her attorneys, Brian Blehm and Kurt Olsen, writing: “Plaintiff had decided well before the election that if the results did not favor her, she would deny that they were legitimate.”
@isaacstannecker
NO AZGOP ELECTION AUDIT: Kelli Ward said there's “no procedure, process, rule that allows for it to be done, and you certainly don’t allow a challenger who lost an election to demand something that they don’t have the right to, and we don't have the responsibility for providing.”
NEWS FROM ARIZONA— Federal Judge John Tuchi grants Maricopa County’s motion for sanctions in Kari Lake, et al v. Katie Hobbs, et al. Plaintiffs challenged election administration procedures, including requiring voter to cast ballots on paper ballots.
@isaacstanbecker
Senator-elect Mark Kelly is in DC for new senator orientation. He can take office as soon as Arizona’s election results are certified. Day 6 of no concession by Martha McSally.
#azsen
ARIZONA SUPREME COURT ON “Because Lake’s attorney has made false factual statements to the Court, we conclude that the extraordinary remedy of a sanction under ARCAP 25 is appropriate” ICYMI: w/
@isaacstanbecker
In Maricopa County, about 10% of polling places are experiencing problems with tabulators. One machine became operative after it was cleaned. Voters can still place their ballots in a slot in a locked container; they will be counted at the downtown tabulation center tonight.
ARIZONA—Maricopa County Superior Court sanctions both Mark Finchem, R, personally, and his attorney, in legal case stemming from a 2022 election contest.
“The RNC and the Republican Party of Arizona demand that around-the-clock shifts of ballot processing be pressed into service until all votes have been counted … We will not hesitate to take legal action.” –
@pnjaban
, for
@GOP
@azgop
Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman recalled listening to Trump's audio w/ the GA Secretary of State on Jan. 3.
“I was horrified,” he said.
That same night, at 9:22 p.m.-approaching midnight in Washington-his phone buzzed. It was the White House.
BREAKING-MARICOPA COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE: IT IS ORDERED: confirming the election of Katie Hobbs as Arizona Governor pursuant to A.R.S. § 16-676(B).
PHOENIX -- Lawyers, political operatives and other people around Kari Lake worked over the weekend from a “war room” inside a Scottsdale resort to prepare her for what they expect to be a stinging loss to Democrat Katie Hobbs: w/
@isaacstanbecker
JUST IN: Republican Dan Quayle, whom served as Vice President under George H. W. Bush and lives in Arizona, will attend President-Elect
@JoeBiden
’s inauguration next week.
@Transition46
Arizona--
@GovernorHobbs
administration has concluded that $210 million of American Rescue Plan Act money awarded to 17 entities in and out of state by former Gov. Doug Ducey was illegal, her aides tell
@washingtonpost
.
But the problem for Trump is that he needs to replicate that performance across all of the remaining 530,000 votes left to count in AZ. And he needs to do it across all Arizona's 15 diverse counties, which include areas that are very blue: Pima, Coconino, Santa Cruz counties.
After his death, John McCain's dog Burma returned to the late senator's bed without him for three days, according to family friend Rick Davis, a longtime member of McCain's inner circle who helped plan his memorial services. Burma died this week.
BREAKING IN ARIZONA— Judge orders santions again
@RealMarkFinchem
and his attorney over false claims they made after Finchem’s 2022 loss for Secretary of State loss.
@isaacstanbecker
ICYMI:
ARIZONA--
@KariLake
is holed up in transition meetings today and these notable GOP figures have been in and out of her office today: Eileen Klein, former Gov. Brewer chief of staff, Floyd Brown, of the Western Journal, Danny Seiden, with the Arizona chamber ...
MARICOPA COUNTY: There are have 400,000-410,000 ballots outstanding, including about 290,000 early ballots dropped off on Election Day and 80,000 early ballot drop offs or in-person voters from Saturday night to Monday.
MARICOPA COUNTY -- County officials said they were blindsided that the conversation had been recorded and then posted publicly with the names of only one side bleeped out. w/
@isaacstanbecker
Playbook
@realDonaldTrump
's allies know he has lost. They know no lawsuit or recount that will get him the tens of thousands of votes he needs across multiple states. Many are looking for new jobs. Rs adjusting to coming Biden presidency
This is all performance art
BREAKING FROM
@AZDEMPARTY
: "While we take no pleasure in this announcement, the ADP Executive Board has decided to formally censure Senator Sinema as a result of her failure to do whatever it takes to ensure the health of our democracy.”
.
@azdemparty
exec board meeting now behind closed doors over how to proceed with possible “no confidence” resolution on Sinema after filibuster vote. ICYMI: via
@azcentral
"Sens. Cory Gardner of Colorado, Martha McSally of Arizona and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who face competitive races in the fall, warned colleagues in the meeting against backing more witnesses." via
@WSJ
#AZSEN
Martha McSally, who was appointed to the Senate after losing her bid in 2018 for AZ’s other Senate seat, has still not conceded. Meanwhile: ‘I value independence': Mark Kelly preparing to join Kyrsten Sinema in new era for Arizona via
@azcentral
#azsen
**** Ducey — the co-chair of the RGA, who will be succeeded as Arizona governor by Democrat Katie Hobbs after Trump-backed Kari Lake was narrowly defeated — applauded heartily after Christie's speech.
ARIZONA—
@AZFreedomCaucus
members vow to get aggressive against
@katiehobbs
executive orders, “woke agenda.” Announces litigation against Hobbs to “curb her use” of executive orders.
NEW FROM ARIZONA—
@GovernorHobbs
announces that the State Land Department has terminated one of Fondomonte Arizona, LLC’s four Butler Valley leases and simultaneously delivered notice the State won’t renew the company’s 3 other leases in the valley when they expire in Feb. 2024.
Arizona passed on an early chance to find out how much water the Saudi company was pumping on state-owned land. For nearly a decade, it was in the dark. Only after the state threatened to cancel Fondomonte's leases last month did the company disclose
ARIZONA— New audio between an election worker and caller as votes were still being counted in Maricopa County last year: “Someone should shoot you in the head.” (
@washingtonpost
obtained the audio through a public records request)
ARIZONA—“Just wait. You’ll get yours.” New records provided to
@washingtonpost
in response to public records request show threats, vitriolic language public officials here confronted during the 2022 election. ICYMI:
.
@NRSC
just blasted out this story to reporters, writing: “If you thought the Arizona Democrats’ voter suppression tactics weren’t shady enough, now look at the questionable Maricopa County election official who has been using his position to cook the books for Kyrsten Sinema.”
WOW. The AZ election official destroying evidence to cook the books for
@kyrstensinema
defended narco-terrorists.
Now it’s all making sense why he’s stretching the rules for Kyrsten “I Don’t Care If Americans Join The Taliban” Sinema.
#AZSEN
ARIZONA—Arizona Supreme Court ends
@AZGOP
’s legal effort to end early voting by mail, preserving the convenient method by which the overwhelming majority of Arizonans of all political persuasions cast their votes.
.
@SenMarkKelly
and his staff worked with the State Department to elevate the case, and ensure the interpreter and his family would be able to enter the airport to be evacuated. The most recent update is that they are on their way, according to
@SenMarkKelly
's office.
Some good news: an Afghan interpreter I have been messaging with has made it past the Taliban and crowds, through the airport’s entry control point. He has his family with him, they are now with the Marines. (Photo from Instagram.)
NEW IN ARIZONA—Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson denies sanctions request against Kari Lake and her attorneys by Maricopa County, Hobbs and Fontes, stemming from Lake’s claims about 2022 contest.
Most members of Phoenix Greater Leadership have agreed to stop supporting Arizona GOP lawmakers financially as well as memberships in organizations that support them financially, until changes in rhetoric, leadership are made: via
@azcentral
.
@billgatesaz
is visibly frustrated, gripping podium: “Everyone needs to calm down. She can call us whatever names she wants to,” referring to Kari Lake. “Let’s stop the name-calling.”
Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo, D, shouting at meeting: "Not one tweet from Kari Lake explaining why there were problems at the polling sites ... it's a perfect example of Kari Lake not wanting to tell the voters the truth."
.
@GovernorHobbs
is making public a report by the AZ Department of Water Resources under former Gov Ducey that shows portions of Phoenix’s far West Valley are short of the 100-year Assured Water Supply Program by 15 percent. (Yrs ago I tried unsuccessfully to get that report)
.
@GovernorHobbs
gets standing O by Democrats: “However, chasing conspiracy theories, pushing agendas for special interests, attacking the rights of your fellow Arizonans or seeking to further undermine our democracy will lead nowhere.”
The coalition has collected more than 250,000 signatures, it announced. It must collect 383,923 valid signatures from Arizona voters by July 3 to qualify for the November ballot.
New: An Arizona coalition is launching an effort today to get abortion rights on the Nov. 2024 ballot in the politically divided state.
With
@yvonnewingett
Maricopa County Attorney
@Rachel1Mitchell
, R, seeks sanctions against Lake and her attorneys: Lake and her counsel engaged in a program of intentional and repeated fallacious misstatements of fact to mislead this Court.
SANCTIONS REQUEST IN ARIZONA— Maricopa County has requested sanctions against Kari Lake and her lawyers,
@washingtonpost
has learned. The other defendants have joined the request, which includes an award for attorneys fees. ICYMI:
New records obtained in Arizona by
@washingtonpost
: “There’s a group of people hanging out near the ballot dropbox filming and photographing my wife and I as we approached the dropbox and accusing us of being a mule."
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Thompson to Kari Lake’s attorney in day 2 of trial, explaining court procedures: “I feel like I’m teaching a seminar over here.”
So confident Kari Lake would win, a transition team began meeting last fall. Records obtained by
@washingtonpost
show staff had been picked for key roles and they had evaluated leadership of state agencies to determine who would stay and who would not.
First came the misinformation. Then the relentless criticism and violent threats. More than two years after the 2020 election, Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates, who was targeted by election deniers, is now in therapy for PTSD.
ARIZONA--Alan Dershowitz, whose name appeared on Kari Lake and Mark Finchem's federal lawsuit to ban voting machines in the state, is set to appear today via video conference to ask Judge Tuchi to not consider sanctions against him.
Cochise County certifies after court order as attorneys for Lake and Finchem are sanctioned over lawsuit seeking to force hand count.
Among their lawyers: Alan Dershowitz. w/
@yvonnewingett
Martha McSally, who was appointed to the Senate after losing her bid in 2018 for AZ’s other Senate seat, has still not conceded. Meanwhile: ‘I value independence': Mark Kelly preparing to join Kyrsten Sinema in new era for Arizona via
@azcentral
#azsen
During the siege,
@SenMarkKelly
was sitting next to
@SenBooker
, who turned to him.
“I’ll never forget the look on his face,” Kelly said. “And he says to me, ‘I just saw the Confederate flag at the door.’ Now, the door was 8 feet away from us.”
NEW IN ARIZONA: Secretary of State
@Adrian_Fontes
, D, asks Attorney General
@AZAGMayes
, D, to investigate
@KariLake
, R, over potential violations of state law involving the public airing of voter signatures. The
@washingtonpost
obtained Fontes’ referral.
SANCTIONS REQUEST IN ARIZONA— Maricopa County has requested sanctions against Kari Lake and her lawyers,
@washingtonpost
has learned. The other defendants have joined the request, which includes an award for attorneys fees. ICYMI:
During one dramatic moment, Tom Liddy, of the county attorney’s office, was concerned about a threat he saw online that was directed toward the judge’s family, according to a person familiar with the matter but not authorized to speak about it publicly.
Biden campaign statement: “As more votes get counted, it’s becoming even more clear than last night: Joe Biden has flipped Arizona and the Presidency.”
.
@SenMarkKelly
, a 25-year Navy vet who served in combat and space, will serve on the Senate Armed Services committee, an assignment he was hoping he would get. ICYMI:
PHOENIX — Kari Lake, a Republican Senate candidate in Arizona who has amplified former president Donald Trump’s false claims about rigged elections, has decided not to defend statements she made about a top election official in the state’s largest county who sued her for…
ARIZONA— Gov.-elect
@katiehobbs
announcing some key agency hires today, source says, including Dr. Theresa Cullen, the Pima County health director who will soon run the state Department of Health Services.