An Obama-era Justice Department chief is urging the Biden administration to crack down on the 2020 election audit in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder offered strong words of condemnation on Monday for what he called a “fraudit” after MSNBC host Rachel Maddow brought up recent controversies related to voting rights and the GOP-led Arizona Senate’s audit in the state’s most populous county.
“All the things they are doing now are counterproductive. They are without basis, and they will hurt, they will harm, our hard-won democracy,” Holder said, referring to the Maricopa review and similar efforts sprouting in places across the country as former President Donald Trump pushes claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential contest.
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Holder further urged the Justice Department to become “aggressively involved” in pursuing possible violations of federal law in the case of the audit and to prosecute violators of these laws when needed.
The Justice Department expressed concerns about the developments in Maricopa County in May, warning the audit and recount, being led by contractors hired by the Arizona Senate, might run afoul of federal law. Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, who has said the audit is not meant to overturn the 2020 election results but rather to restore trust in the system and influence possible changes to voting laws, responded by making assurances about the process.
Holder praised the DOJ letter as setting a good framework for how the Biden administration might get involved but said it wasn’t enough. “Letters are fine, but it has to be followed up with action,” he said.
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The issue of voting has become a political battleground as of late.
Although federal and state election officials have insisted there is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 contest, Trump and his allies still claim the contest was stolen. Some take issue with pandemic-focused changes to the voting process last year, including widespread mail-in voting, which they say was ripe for fraud, and, in some cases, was not constitutional without approval from state legislatures and Congress.
Democrats, and some Republicans, have warned efforts such as the one in Maricopa County undermine faith in the democratic system and, with voting reform laws being approved in GOP-controlled states in recent months, there has been pushback by people who believe the changes are tantamount to voter suppression, particularly for minorities.
