On Monday, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich advised U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland that the Biden administration’s Department of Justice had no right to interfere with the audit of the Maricopa County 2020 General Election.
Brnovich accused Garland’s staff of giving into the “hysterical” leftist pundits on cable television, rather than the rule of law,” referring to a May 5 letter from Pamela Karlan of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, on the subject of the Arizona Senate’s oversight of the Maricopa County audit.
“My office is not amused by the DOJ’s posturing and will not tolerate any effort to undermine or interfere with our State Senate’s audit to reassure Arizonans of the accuracy of our elections,” wrote Brnovich to Garland.
“My office looks for ways to work alongside the federal government to uphold our laws within the constraints of the 10th Amendment and the election provisions in Articles I and II.” Brnovich concluded, “As I have demonstrated several times, however, Arizona will not sit back and let the Biden administration abuse its authority, refused to uphold laws, or attempt to commandeer our state’s sovereignty.”
Garland has attacked the audit ordered by the Arizona State Senate. “Many of the justifications proffered in support of these post-election audits and restrictions on voting have relied on assertions of material vote fraud in the 2020 election that have been refuted by law enforcement and intelligence agencies,” Garland said last week.
Brnovich letter in full:
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001Late last week, you made some troubling comments about the ongoing efforts in states to ensure election integrity. Your statements displayed an alarming distain for state sovereignty as defined under the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution and the election provisions in Articles I and II.
Your comments followed a May 5 letter from Pamela Karlan of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, on the subject of the Arizona Senate’s oversight of the Maricopa County audit. This letter appeared more interested in supporting the hysterical outcries pundits on cable television, rather than the rule of law.
My office is not amused by the DOJ’s posturing and will not tolerate any effort to undermine or interfere with our State Senate’s audit to reassure Arizonans of the accuracy of our elections. We stand ready to defend federalism in the state sovereignty against any partisan attacks or federal overreach.
It is important to remember that the states created the federal government, not the other way around. America’s founders intentionally restrained the federal government’s constitutional boundaries to ensure each state could flourish in unique ways. Today, our federal government has largely forgotten the Founder’s intent, but my office has not.
There are no issues more important for states to prioritize on the integrity of our elections. This is the corner stone of our republic, binding together the people’s trust in the whole of government. Today, we see mistrust in our elections from Americans on all sides of the political spectrum. This should not be a partisan issue. States can and should take every opportunity to reassure all citizens that their vote counts.
My office looks for ways to work alongside the federal government to uphold our laws within the constraints of the 10th Amendment and the election provisions in Articles I and II. As I have demonstrated several times, however, Arizona will not sit back and let the Biden administration abuse its authority, refused to uphold laws, or attempt to commandeer our state’s sovereignty.