By Matthew Holloway |
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has obtained election-related records from Maricopa County as part of an ongoing federal investigation connected to the 2020 presidential election. The confirmation followed independent reporting, which some members of the local press mischaracterized as describing a “raid.”
Petersen confirmed the action after a report from JustTheNews stated that federal investigators recently secured terabytes of election data from Arizona’s most populous county through a federal grand jury subpoena.
The subpoena sought election materials connected to Maricopa County’s administration of the 2020 election, according to the report. Sources familiar with the probe told the outlet that investigators obtained electronic election data as part of a broader criminal inquiry examining potential election-related misconduct.
The reported federal action follows other election-related investigations conducted in recent months involving local election administration across the United States, such as the FBI’s similar seizure of election records in Fulton County, Georgia.
Early responses to reporting from JustTheNews’ John Solomon included ABC15’s Garrett Archer mischaracterizing the report on the seizure under subpoena as describing a ‘raid,’ and as “either a full-throated lie, or something having to do with the recorder’s office.”
Solomon replied to the post, stating, “My story is accurate. When a grand jury subpoena is issued there isn’t usually a raid. The data is obtained usually from a third party. I’d ask your legislature what they know.”
Within minutes, a post from Petersen confirmed the JustTheNews article shared by President Donald Trump on Truth Social. Petersen posted to X, “President Trump is 100% correct. Late last week I received and complied with a federal grand jury subpoena for records relating to the Arizona State Senate’s 2020 audit of Maricopa County. The FBI has the records. Any other report is fake news.”
Congressman Abe Hamadeh’s (R-AZ08) Rapid Response team was quick to point out, “John Solomon’s report never mentions a ‘raid’ at all. The actual term used is ‘subpoena.’ Garrett Archer appears to have invented the raid claim just to knock down an easy ‘straw man’ argument.”
As previously reported by AZ Free News, the contractors’ controversial report from the Senate-mandated audit documented multiple concerns about election administration procedures, while confirming that the overall ballot count remained largely consistent with the certified results.
Hamadeh issued a request for a full investigation into credible allegations that election security protocols in Arizona were breached during the 2024 General Election in June 2025 following reports alleging that large stores of printed blank ballots from several western states were “improperly mixed in a warehouse with returned voted mail ballots that were in the process of being prepared for tabulation” at Runbeck Election Services, a firm contracted by Maricopa County.
He wrote at the time, “This alarming situation raises serious questions about the security and integrity of the election process in Maricopa County and potentially beyond. The commingling of blank ballots with live ballots poses a significant risk to the accuracy and fairness of election results. It is crucial that we have confidence in the integrity of our elections, and any potential mishandling of ballots must be investigated to ensure that the will of the voters is accurately reflected.”
Federal investigators have not publicly detailed the full scope of the current inquiry involving the Maricopa County records. The FBI generally does not comment on ongoing investigations.
Officials with Maricopa County have not publicly released a detailed description of the materials obtained by federal investigators or the timing of the request. Federal authorities have not announced any charges connected to the reported subpoena for Maricopa County election records.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
