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Trump will take office in a week. Jack Smith has resigned from the DOJ, and the federal case involving the Trump fake elector plot is over, but there are still prosecutions ongoing at the state level.
In Arizona, eighteen Trump allies, including Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows, are facing criminal charges.
Attorney General Kris Mayes has asked the Department of Justice to turn over Jack Smith’s case files to assist in the state’s case.
Mayes wrote to AG Merrick Garland:
I am writing to request the Department of Justice disclose to my office its case file in Special Counsel’s investigation and prosecution relating to the 2020 presidential election in Washington, D.C. (Election Case) as authorized by a recent order issued by the Maricopa CountySuperior Court. Early in my term as Arizona’s Attorney General, my office sought access to Special Counsel’s materials in its case. Then, the Special Counsel was not ready or able to share any materials.
Today, your office does not have an active case and is preparing to release Special Counsel’s report in the Election Case. Given these circumstances, I am revisiting my office’s earlier request.
For background, a statewide grand jury in Arizona indicted 18 individuals who it alleged engaged in a fraud scheme to overthrow our democracy in 2020. The grand jury’s indictment included charges against both national and Arizona-based individuals, including Arizona’s 11 fake electors.
Today, my office has one of the only remaining cases that includes charges against national actors. I have held steadfast to prosecuting the grand jury’s indictment because those who tried to subvert democracy in 2020 must be held accountable. Undoubtedly, disclosing Special Counsel’s file to my office will help ensure that those who should be held accountable are included. But I am also Arizona’s chief law enforcement officer and a minister of justice. I must be sure the rights of the defendants are protected as well, and I would welcome any exculpatory material that the Special Counsel possesses.
There is still the possibility that those who tried to steal the 2020 election for Trump will face justice. While it is unsatisfying in the respect that Trump will not be prosecuted while he is in office, it is important that people like Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows could be held accountable in a court where, if convicted, they could not be pardoned.
The Trump cases are over, but the people who carried out Trump’s plot to steal the 2020 election could still find themselves behind bars.
What do you think of the Arizona AG wanting Jack Smith’s case files? Share your thoughts in your comments below.
