Gov. Hobbs says Arizona should press charges against Donald Trump over 2020 election
Aug 15, 2023, 4:32 PM | Updated: 4:43 pm
(Facebook Photo/Katie Hobbs, left, AP Photo, right)
(Facebook Photo/Katie Hobbs, left, AP Photo, right)
PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs said Tuesday that Arizona should press charges against former president Donald Trump over potential election interference in the 2020 election.
Hobbs told reporters at an event in Phoenix that Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes should follow suit with Georgia, which indicted Trump on Monday.
“Absolutely. I have been an advocate for holding folks involved in trying to overturn the will of the voters in the 2020 election accountable and this is part of that process,” Hobbs, a Democrat, said.
Trump and 18 allies were indicted in Georgia over their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, with prosecutors using a statute normally associated with mobsters to accuse the former president, lawyers and other aides of a “criminal enterprise” to keep him in power.
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Arizona had several mentions in the indictment, including meetings with Trump allies and lawmakers in the state following his loss to Joe Biden in November 2020.
Hobbs was Arizona’s Secretary of State then and the position oversees elections.
Biden won Arizona’s 11 electoral votes in 2020 by less than a percentage, the first time a Democrat won the Grand Canyon State on the presidential level since 1996.
“Accountability is critical. I don’t think we’re going to change direction until there’s accountability at the top level,” Hobbs said in response to a question about the charges leveled against Trump.
“And this is an important step forward that I think should move forward and play out in the legal process.”
The Georgia indictment bookends a remarkable crush of criminal cases — four in five months, each in a different city — for Trump, who is simultaneously balancing the roles of criminal defendant and presidential candidate.
NOTE: Katie Hobbs’ Communications Director, Christian Slater, provided this statement regarding the governor’s answers: “Gov. Hobbs misheard the question. She was responding generally about her belief that anyone who breaks the law must be held accountable for working to overturn free and fair elections. As she has consistently stated, she believes in allowing the legal process to proceed independently and without political interference.”
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Taylor Tasler and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
