As criminal indictments against former President Donald Trump continue to mount in various courts across the country, the leader of yet another state has weighed in on whether she would like prosecutors in her jurisdiction to follow a similar path, as KTAR in Phoenix reports.
The outlet indicated that Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) appeared to opine last week that her state should pursue charges against Trump over his alleged involvement in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Hobbs was responding to a reporter's inquiry about her take on the Fulton County, Georgia indictment of Trump, which was announced last Monday, and whether she thought her state should heed that example.
The governor replied, “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 part of that process.”
Hobbs continued, saying of the Georgia charges, “Accountability is critical. I don't think we're going to change direction until there's accountability at the top level. And this is an important step forward that I think should move forward and play out in the legal process.”
The prospect of an Arizona indictment of Trump indeed appears to be a real one, according to CBS News, which reported last week that the state's attorney general, Kris Mayes, is currently engaged in an ongoing probe of the aftermath of the 2020 election.
That investigation reportedly centers largely around the creation of an alternate slate of electors designed to benefit Trump in the event his legal challenges to the result in Arizona proved successful.
Precisely when Mayes' probe began, its current status, or the breath of its scope are all unanswered questions, though the AG publicly addressed its existence for the first time on Wednesday.
“We are taking this investigation very seriously, very solemnly,” she said, adding, “we're going to do it on our timetable as justice demands.”
Mayes' willingness to delve into issues surrounding the aftermath of the 2020 contest is not entirely surprising, given that she rose to office by defeating a Republican candidate who had expressed doubt about the integrity of the election results, and as part of her campaign, Mayes vowed to probe the aforementioned alternate elector strategies employed by supporters of the former president, CBS News further noted.
It is worth noting, however, that in the wake of Hobbs' comments, which seemed to declare her belief that charges against Trump are conclusively warranted, her office has since issued something of a clarification, as KTAR explains.
An editorial note appended to the outlet's original story on Hobbs' aforementioned remarks revealed that Christian Slater, communications director for the governor, later stated that the state's chief executive had “misheard the question” about a potential Trump indictment in Arizona.
“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,” the statement added.
However, given Hobbs' prior rhetoric on the matter, the spin her office attempted to put on her remarks after the fact comes across as disingenuous at best, and the notion that there might actually be a fair and unbiased review of the facts as they relate to Trump seems to be a ship that has long since sailed.
