Arizona's Secretary of State calls for a criminal investigation into ...

Arizona's Secretary of State calls for a criminal investigation into ...
Arizona's Secretary of State calls for a criminal investigation into Trump ...

Arizona's secretary of state Katie Hobbs has written the state attorney general seeking a criminal investigation into efforts by former President Donald Trump and key allies in their efforts to 'stop the counting' of state ballots.

Hobbs, a Democrat, wrote state attorney general Mike Brnovich Wednesday seeking the probe, following a bombshell report featuring documents and voicemails that were part of the pressure campaign amid election fraud claims by Trump and his allies.

'Arizona law protects election officials from those who would seek to interfere with their sacred duties to ascertain and certify the will of the voters,' wrote Hobbs.

Hobbs in her letter cited a report in the Arizona Republic based off document requests that revealed state Republican Party chair Kelli Ward telling the Republican chair of the state board of supervisors 'We need you to stop the counting.'

'Local reporting recently uncovered intense efforts to interfere with the tabulation of ballots and canvass of the 2020 election in Maricopa County. In Arizona, interfering with election officials is a felony,' she tweeted. 

She noted that under Arizona law, any person who 'knowingly' interferes 'in any manner with an officer of such election in the discharge of the officer’s duty' or influencing an officer 'to violate or refuse to comply with the officer’s duty or any law regulating the election' is guilty of a felony. 

She also cites Ward's comment to the election official that 'I know you don't want to be remembered as the guy who led the charge to certify a fraudulent election.' 

Hobbs is running for governor and Brnovich, a Republican, is running for the Senate against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly.     

'The reporting also includes firsthand statements from the victims of this potential crime,' Hobbs wrote.   

Trump and key allies undertook a furious campaign to try to get to Republican county election officials in Arizona as part of their election overturn effort – with the White House dialing New Year's Eve and Rudy Giuliani phoning repeatedly.

'POTUS will probably be calling you,' Arizona state GOP chair Kelli Ward texted one such official, Maricopa County supervisor Clint Hickman, who held sway on the county board overseeing elections in a state that had been called for Joe Biden back in November.

On New Year's Eve, the White House called with a message that mentioned Trump's desire to speak to the county official. 

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani is heard on voicemails calling Arizona county election officials and telling them Trump wants to talk to them

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani is heard on voicemails calling Arizona county election officials and telling them Trump wants to talk to them

'Just a check in from the President of the United States ... So I guess that means you could/should take the call,' Ward pressed him.

Hickman said he didn't want to discuss litigation, amid a flurry of 'Kraken' lawsuits by Trump allies challenging results in states where Joe Biden won.

The pressure was contained in documents obtained by the Arizona

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