Arizona Secretary of State’s office subpoenaed in Jan. 6 probe
Jul 10, 2023, 11:38 AM | Updated: 11:50 am
(Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes confirmed Friday that his office was subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The special counsel subpoenaed the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office twice since it began its investigation last year, Fontes told KTAR 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Friday.
Most recently, Fontes said a law firm that worked with his office was subpoenaed in May.
“As far as we know, we’re in full compliance with that at this point,” the Democrat said.
The first subpoena was issued in December, when now-Gov. Katie Hobbs was still secretary of state, but Fontes’ administration responded to it.
“We complied with that subpoena as well as the office could comply,” he said. “We haven’t heard any follow up from that yet.”
Fontes said the special counsel was looking for information related to two lawsuits seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election brought by Donald Trump’s campaign and former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward.
“They’re looking for a lot of the communication internally that happened there, some of the discoveries, some of the other things that developed … through those lawsuits,” he said.
Though Fontes said he has no knowledge of a connection between those lawsuits and the Jan. 6 attack, he speculated that prosecutors are building a conspiracy case.
“If you look at the pattern of information that has been gathered and discussed across the United States of America in the variety of different states that have received similar subpoenas, it’s the same type of stuff. Who was talking to whom? When were they talking to them? What were they saying?” he said.
Fontes said his office is in full compliance with the subpoenas. It has not heard about a follow up from December’s order.
Smith has also been digging into efforts by Trump and his allies to undo President Joe Biden’s election victory.
Since Smith’s appointment, he has cast a broad net in demanding interviews and testimony related to fundraising, Trump’s rally that preceded the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and communications between Trump associates and election officials in battleground states.
In December, Smith subpoenaed local election officials in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Pennsylvania, asking for communications with or involving Trump, his 2020 campaign aides and a list of allies who were involved in his efforts to try to overturn the results of the election.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
