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FBI Obtains Arizona Senate’s 2020 Maricopa Audit Records, Widening Election Probe

The request focuses on materials from the GOP-run Cyber Ninjas review that validated Joe Biden’s victory in the county.

Overview

  • Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen said he complied last week with a federal grand jury subpoena and turned over the chamber’s 2021 audit records to the FBI.
  • Maricopa County officials said they have not received subpoenas and noted 2020 ballots were destroyed after the statutory retention period.
  • Federal investigators used a subpoena to obtain legislative records in Arizona, contrasting with January’s court-approved search warrant used to seize 2020 materials in Fulton County, Georgia.
  • The Cyber Ninjas review, commissioned by Republican legislators in 2021, found no outcome-changing fraud and slightly increased Biden’s margin in Maricopa County.
  • Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes condemned the action as unwarranted, while President Donald Trump praised reports of the records handover; the FBI and DOJ have not detailed what potential crimes are under investigation.