With the newly elected secretary of state requesting an investigation into Republican gubernatorial contender Kari Lake, Arizona’s electoral battle may take a dramatic turn.
Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has requested that state law enforcement launch a criminal inquiry into Lake after she posted photographs of allegedly “illegally counted” ballots from the midterm elections of 2022.
Monday, Fontes addressed Attorney General Kris Mayes a letter about the probable criminal charge.
The letter pointed to Lake’s Jan. 23 tweet displaying the votes and requested state authorities to “investigate and take appropriate enforcement action against Kari Lake for potential violations of Arizona law committed under her Twitter handle, @KariLake.”
Lake’s article stated that the signatures on the early votes did not match those from the registration records. She contended that this is proof that illegitimate ballots were counted in her contest against current Governor Katie Hobbs, who beat her by around 17,000 votes.
“I think all the ‘Election Deniers’ out there deserve an apology,” Lake tweeted.
🚨 BOMBSHELL DISCOVERY 🚨
Today’s Senate Testimony CONFIRMS nearly 40,000 ballots illegally counted (10% of the signatures reviewed).
I think all the “Election Deniers” out there deserve an apology. pic.twitter.com/3g2x5zgd2c
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) January 23, 2023
Fontes asserted that Lake’s conduct violated an Arizona statute that bars the sharing of voter registration information without authorization.
In Arizona, violating this legislation involves a crime of the sixth degree. A non-dangerous class six felony violation is punished by up to two years in jail if the perpetrator has no previous felony convictions, according to Shouse Arizona Law Group.
The Kari Lake War Room Twitter account acknowledged Fontes’ charges.
“Adrian Fontes wants Kris Mayes to investigate & potentially imprison [Kari Lake] for the ‘crime’ of… sharing signature verification evidence that was presented before the [Arizona Senate Republicans] & is currently in her lawsuit,” the account stated.
“Welcome to the Banana Republic of Arizona.”
Adrien Fontes wants Kris Mayes to investigate & potentially imprison @KariLake for the 'crime' of… sharing signature verification evidence that was presented before the @AZSenateGOP & is currently in her lawsuit.
Welcome to the Banana Republic of Arizona.
— Kari Lake War Room (@KariLakeWarRoom) January 31, 2023
More on this story via The Western Journal:
A follow-up post argued that these legal threats are simply a political move by those who have power and want to keep it.
“There’s a reason why these people don’t want us inspecting the ballots & the envelopes,” the post stated. “Because they’ve been pushing through bunk signatures for years.” CONTINUE READING…