Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08) is calling for greater accountability over decisions by four prosecuting offices to decline charges against a hacker who admitted to exploiting a Maricopa County website and extracting approximately 633,000 voter registration records shortly before the 2020 election.
During an interview with Just the News, Hamadeh said he wants to know which prosecutors were responsible for the decisions after the FBI investigated the breach, identified the suspect, and obtained an admission.
“I’m still curious to know, you know, which attorneys at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, at the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, in Maricopa County, Pinal County, declined charges, especially when the FBI referred it and had this case pretty much handed on a platter to these prosecuting agencies, and they all refused,” Hamadeh said.
Every week, more election vulnerabilities get exposed.
Thank God @POTUS, the most transparent president in American history, is finally getting the truth out.
Congressman Hamadeh joined @jsolomonReports to break down the latest Arizona election integrity bombshell.
The…
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) August 8, 2026
The comments followed the release of declassified FBI records detailing the investigation into the 2020 intrusion. In an Aug. 4 letter, FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators confirmed voter records were illegally extracted from a Maricopa County site and identified a suspect who admitted committing the offense.
According to the FBI, the suspect discovered a vulnerability in the county’s voter registration system, wrote a PowerShell script to exploit it, and illegally scraped approximately 633,000 voter files. About 930 contained sensitive, nonpublic information, Patel wrote.
The affected records included full names, voter identification numbers, and party affiliations. Approximately 930 contained sensitive information involving domestic violence victims, judges, and law enforcement officers. The document said Social Security numbers were not included in the information obtained.
The vulnerability allowed an intruder to place voter identification numbers directly into the website URL and bypass its normal authentication process, according to the FBI. The PowerShell script then automated sequential requests for voter registration information.
Hamadeh said the scale of the breach raises questions about the cybersecurity capabilities of less-populous jurisdictions.
“Maricopa County, which isn’t just the biggest county in Arizona, it’s the fourth biggest county in the entire country,” Hamadeh said during the interview. “So if you have these people, these hackers able to exfiltrate into the data systems of a big county like Maricopa, imagine what they can do to some of these smaller counties that don’t have the cyber tech and the counter cyber measures that Maricopa County may have.”
An FBI interview summary said the suspect first discovered the vulnerability around September 2020 after noticing that his voter identification number appeared in the website URL. He tested other seven-digit numbers and discovered that he could access other voters’ registration information.
The suspect then developed the PowerShell script and initially downloaded between 100 and 1,000 records during a trial run before expanding the operation, according to the FBI. He estimated that he ultimately downloaded between 1 million and 2 million records, while investigators documented approximately 633,000 exfiltrated voter records.
The suspect stored information on personal hard drives and a Google Cloud account before deleting it after becoming concerned about law enforcement consequences, according to the FBI report. He described himself to investigators as a “hacker or tinkerer” and accepted responsibility for his actions.
FBI agents executed a search warrant at the suspect’s Fountain Hills residence on Nov. 5, 2020. According to the bureau’s May 2023 case-closure document, investigators analyzed seized devices and obtained records involving the suspect’s bank, social media, and email accounts.
Investigators concluded that he had developed and operated the PowerShell script and later deleted the extracted information. The FBI said investigators found no indication of domestic or foreign influence over his actions.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona declined prosecution. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office also declined the case and advised the FBI that it had presented the matter to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, which also declined. Investigators then presented the case to the Pinal County Attorney’s Office, which likewise declined prosecution, according to the closure memorandum.
The federal declination occurred July 12, 2021. The released documents do not identify when the other three offices made their decisions.
Because all four prosecuting offices declined the matter, investigators requested closure of the case in May 2023.
Hamadeh said accountability in the case remains unresolved.
“The win that the American people had here in Arizona, especially what we’re still trying to get, is justice,” Hamadeh said during the interview.
Hamadeh also described the intrusion as a “direct attack on democracy” and referred to manipulation of voter files during his remarks. The released FBI documents establish that voter registration information was accessed and exfiltrated; they do not show that the suspect altered voter records, accessed ballots, or changed votes. Just the News also reported that there is no evidence votes were changed as a result of the intrusion.
The newly released records contrast with what Maricopa County officials publicly said about the incident during the aftermath of the 2020 election. In July 2021, county officials told Capitol Media Services that the intruder had accessed a voter registration website but had not penetrated the server storing voter registration records, and said only voter registration numbers had been obtained without access to personal information. The FBI records released this week state that approximately 633,000 voter registration records were exfiltrated and that about 930 contained sensitive voter information.
Hamadeh has made election security a legislative priority in Congress. He urged the Senate in July to pass the SAVE America Act, after the House previously passed the measure and subsequently advanced its provisions through other legislative vehicles. The legislation would require proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration and identification to cast a ballot in federal elections.
Federal immigration officers arrested a Haitian national in Massachusetts who entered the United States through the Arizona border during the Biden administration. He had been released into the country and now faces pending charges involving child pornography, indecent assault, and extortion.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that officers from its Boston field office arrested Pierre Andy Jean-Louis, 20, during a vehicle stop in Fall River, Massachusetts, on July 18.
Jean-Louis has pending Massachusetts charges for possession of child pornography, indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14, and extortion by threat of injury, according to ICE. The agency has not reported that Jean-Louis has been convicted of the charges.
“There is no person more disturbing than one who stands accused of preying upon the most innocent members of our communities,” acting ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston Field Office Director David Wesling said in a statement. “ICE Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by working tenaciously to remove alleged child sex predators from our New England neighborhoods.”
ICE said U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehended Jean-Louis after he entered the country near Nogales, Arizona, on Sept. 24, 2024.
CBP subsequently released him into the country under a two-year grant of immigration parole.
Immigration parole allows the Department of Homeland Security to temporarily permit a noncitizen applying for admission to enter the United States on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or a significant public benefit. Federal law states that parole does not constitute formal admission into the United States.
Jean-Louis’ release occurred approximately four months before former President Joe Biden left office in January 2025.
Following the July vehicle stop, ICE officers took Jean-Louis into custody and served him with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge.
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin highlighted the Arizona connection, reporting that Jean-Louis had been “caught and released” at the border before his arrest in Massachusetts.
NEW: ICE Boston announces they've arrested a Haitian illegal alien alleged pedophile who has pending charges for possession of child porn, indecent assault, and extortion by threat of injury. Pierre Andy Jean-Louis, was caught and released at the AZ border by the Biden admin on… pic.twitter.com/QugKxM7uS5
ICE described Jean-Louis as an illegal alien from Haiti. The agency did not identify the circumstances under which CBP approved the two-year parole or provide additional information concerning his travel from Arizona to Massachusetts.
The U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs in July as a 53,000-job decline in government employment more than offset a 30,000-job increase in private-sector payrolls, according to new federal labor data released Friday.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ July Employment Situation report found total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 23,000 after increasing by a revised 20,000 jobs in June. The unemployment rate declined from 4.2% to 4.1%.
The Republican side of the Joint Economic Committee, chaired by Arizona Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ-01), highlighted the figures Friday in its monthly employment update. Schweikert has chaired the bicameral committee since March 2025.
In July, jobs decreased by 23K jobs (+30K private sector, -53K govt). At the same time, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.1pp to 4.1% while the labor force participation rate decreased by 0.1pp to 61.4%. The broadest measure of unemployment remained unchanged at 7.9%.…
— Joint Economic Committee Republicans (@JECRepublicans) August 7, 2026
Private-sector payrolls increased by 30,000 jobs during July, while government employment declined by 53,000, according to the Joint Economic Committee’s employment update. Private education and health services gained 25,000 jobs and construction gained 22,000, while state and local government employment declined by 50,000 and leisure and hospitality lost 40,000 jobs.
The decline in the unemployment rate came as the civilian labor force decreased by 264,000 people in July, from approximately 169.36 million to 169.09 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The number of employed people fell by 87,000, while the number counted as unemployed decreased by 178,000. The labor force participation rate slipped from 61.5% to 61.4%.
BLS reported that labor force participation has declined by 0.7 percentage points since January, while the employment-to-population ratio has fallen by 0.5 percentage points over the same period. Approximately 5.9 million people outside the labor force said they wanted a job in July.
The broader U-6 measure of labor underutilization remained at 7.9%. The measure includes unemployed workers, people marginally attached to the labor force and those working part time for economic reasons.
The July payroll decline came in well below economists’ expectations. The Dow Jones consensus had projected an increase of approximately 83,000 jobs.
BLS reported that the decline in local government employment was concentrated in education, which lost 50,000 jobs. Retail trade declined by 19,000 jobs, while financial activities continued a downward trend with a loss of 14,000. Health care added approximately 22,000 jobs during the month, led by an 18,000-job increase in ambulatory health care services.
Federal government employment has fallen by 252,000 jobs since July 2025, according to the JEC, while private education and health services added approximately 550,000 jobs over the same period. Professional and business services increased by 115,000 jobs year over year, while financial activities declined by 114,000.
The latest report also included another round of substantial downward revisions to earlier job estimates.
May payroll growth, initially reported at 172,000 jobs, has now been revised to 63,000, a cumulative reduction of 109,000 jobs from the original estimate. BLS had previously revised May’s figure to 129,000 before Friday’s report reduced it again to 63,000. June employment was revised from a gain of 57,000 jobs to 20,000.
BLS said the latest revisions alone reduced previously reported May and June employment by a combined 103,000 jobs. The agency said monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies and recalculated seasonal factors.
Annual wage growth slowed in July. Average hourly earnings for employees on private nonfarm payrolls reached $37.62, up 3.2% from a year earlier. Average hourly earnings for private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees stood at $32.40. The average private-sector workweek remained unchanged at 34.3 hours.
Separate BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey data released Tuesday showed 7.4 million job openings nationwide in June, with the openings rate at 4.4%. Hiring remained at approximately 5.3 million, while total separations were little changed at 5.4 million.
Arizona’s most recent state-level employment figures currently cover June. The Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity’s June employment report showed the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 4.8% in May to 4.9% in June, compared with the national rate of 4.2% that month.
Arizona’s labor force decreased by 20,204 people from May to June and by 73,302, or 1.9%, compared with June 2025. The state nevertheless recorded 27,900 more nonfarm jobs on a not-seasonally-adjusted basis than it had one year earlier.
BLS data show Arizona had approximately 3.28 million seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs in June, an increase of about 23,600 jobs, or 0.7%, from a year earlier. Construction employment was up 1.5% year over year, while government employment was down 1.5%.
Arizona’s July employment figures are scheduled for release on August 21.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that congressional Republicans must make temporary federal income-tax deductions for qualified tips and overtime permanent, tying their continuation to the outcome of the November midterm elections.
Johnson made the commitment during a press conference at PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay manufacturing facility in Casa Grande, where he joined Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ-06) for a factory tour and roundtable discussion with Arizona manufacturers and business leaders.
Responding to a question from AZ Free News about the provisions’ scheduled expiration after 2028, Johnson said Republicans intend to pursue an extension.
“We have to make these tax cuts permanent,” Johnson said during the press conference. “We have to ensure that the great benefit that people are feeling right now continues.”
The Working Families Tax Cuts established deductions for qualified tips and overtime compensation beginning with the 2025 tax year and continuing through 2028. The tips deduction is capped at $25,000 annually, while individuals may deduct up to $12,500 in qualified overtime compensation, or $25,000 for married couples filing jointly. The overtime deduction applies to compensation exceeding a worker’s regular rate of pay, such as the additional half-time portion of time-and-a-half wages, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
Johnson argued that continued Republican control of Congress would be necessary to extend the provisions.
“If the Republicans lose control of the Congress in this election cycle in 2026, you can kiss those tax cuts goodbye,” Johnson said.
He also said no Democratic members of the House or Senate supported the tax package and argued that the November election would determine whether Congress extends its temporary provisions.
The law, enacted as Public Law 119-21, permanently extended several provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act while establishing the temporary deductions for tips, overtime, qualifying vehicle-loan interest, and eligible seniors. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the law would increase primary federal deficits by approximately $3.4 trillion between 2025 and 2034 through a $4.5 trillion reduction in revenues, partially offset by $1.1 trillion in lower direct spending. A separate CBO estimate placed the total deficit effect at approximately $4.1 trillion when additional debt-service costs are included.
Arizona adopted corresponding state income-tax deductions for qualified tips and overtime through the budget agreement between Arizona Republicans and Gov. Hobbs in June.
Bessent, Johnson, and Ciscomani toured the Casa Grande facility before meeting with local business owners and managers to discuss manufacturing, taxation, and economic growth. The City of Casa Grande lists more than 300 associates at the Frito-Lay facility, which produces Lay’s, Fritos, Tostitos, Doritos, and Cheetos products.
Bessent said in a post on X that the visit focused on the administration’s “America First pro-growth economic agenda” and the effects of the Working Families Tax Cuts one year after President Donald Trump signed the legislation.
One year after President Trump signed the Working Families Tax Cuts into law, the promise of the American Dream is extending to every factory floor. It was great to join Speaker Johnson and Congressman Ciscomani at the Frito-Lay facility in Casa Grande, Arizona to discuss how the… pic.twitter.com/crTUUOySqx
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) August 6, 2026
The Treasury Department says 97 percent of filers received a tax cut compared with what they would have owed if the 2017 tax provisions had expired. The Treasury reported $325 billion in total refunds, $82 billion claimed through individual tax-relief provisions, and an average refund of approximately $3,300.
During the press conference, AZ Free News asked Ciscomani what specific economic developments in the Sixth Congressional District could help reverse the continuing financial pressure facing Arizona households and the state’s declining workforce participation.
The question cited a recent Common Sense Institute (CSI) analysis, which found that Phoenix-area prices remained 33.4 percent higher than in June 2019. CSI estimated that the higher price level is costing a typical Arizona household an additional $1,673 per month.
Arizona’s unemployment rate also increased to 4.9 percent in June, its highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, while labor-force participation fell to 60.3 percent. The participation rate was near the state’s 10-year low after declining for five consecutive months.
Ciscomani responded by citing projected increases of between $7,400 and $10,600 in take-home pay for an average Arizona family and approximately $3,500 in lower taxes. He also pointed to accounts from parents on a youth football team he coaches who told him they had received the largest tax refunds of their lives.
“This is real money back in people’s real pockets,” Ciscomani said.
The $7,400-to-$10,600 figure has been promoted by Republican lawmakers as a projected increase in take-home pay. It is separate from the Treasury’s reported national average refund of approximately $3,300. Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ-01) previously described the estimate as including lower taxes and projected wage growth.
“Our opponents on the Democrat side believe that just either freebies or more government programs are the ones that create that. And creating more government jobs is not. Creating jobs is what this company here is doing by expanding and hiring more people, improving the safety of the company, and also attracting more people to work here. That is what’s actually moving forward.”
Ciscomani said allowing families to retain more of their earnings would increase consumer spending and stimulate private-sector job creation. He cited the host facility’s expansion and hiring as an example of private-sector economic activity.
“From the numbers that we know as statistics and also testimonials that I hear about everywhere I go, we know that families are overall doing better,” Ciscomani said.
He acknowledged that Arizona families continue to face financial difficulties and attributed much of the remaining pressure to inflation experienced during former President Joe Biden’s administration.
“Are there hardships? Are there things that people are struggling with? Absolutely,” Ciscomani said. “And we don’t ignore that.”
Ciscomani said the country was “clawing” its way out of the earlier inflationary period and described the economy as moving in the right direction. “We have more work to do, but we’re definitely on the right track.”
Johnson concluded that maintaining Republican congressional majorities would be central to extending the tips and overtime provisions beyond their current expiration.
“Elections have consequences,” Johnson said. “They really do.”
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-LD14) added endorsements from two law enforcement associations last week as he continued building police support in his campaign against Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes.
The Arizona Conference of Police and Sheriffs (AZCOPS) and the Maricopa County Colleges Police Officers Association (MCCPOA) endorsed Petersen, according to a release from his campaign. Petersen won the Republican nomination in July and will face Mayes in the general election.
With the AZCOPS endorsement, Petersen’s campaign said he now has support from Arizona’s six largest law enforcement organizations. His broader coalition includes county sheriffs, county attorneys, and retired law enforcement officials.
In a post to X prior to the announcement, Petersen wrote, “For the first time in AZ history, a challenger to the sitting AG has the overwhelming support from law enforcement. As your next attorney general, I will fight crime, defend the laws and the Constitution, and root out fraud, waste, and corruption.”
For the first time in AZ history, a challenger to the sitting AG has the overwhelming support from law enforcement. As your next attorney general I will fight crime, defend the laws and the Constitution and root out fraud, waste and corruption. pic.twitter.com/wDXRHpFDom
AZCOPS represents more than 4,500 members across Arizona. The organization says it represents public safety employees in legal, employment, and political matters and advocates for compensation, benefits, and due-process protections.
“Following extensive research and consideration by AZCOPS Legislative Committee and Executive Board, AZCOPS is proud to endorse you for election for Arizona’s Attorney General,” AZCOPS Executive Director David Stone said in the campaign release.
“AZCOPS examines several factors when determining whether to issue endorsements, including a candidate’s record of accomplishments, commitment to public safety, and willingness to work collaboratively with the leadership of our member organizations,” Stone added. “[Warren Petersen’s] unwavering support for law enforcement and public safety is appreciated by our members and the communities they serve.”
Stone is a retired Tucson Police Department officer who later worked as a private investigator and criminal investigator for Pima County.
“I’m grateful for these latest endorsements from AZCOPS and MCCPOA,” Petersen said. “It’s clear that the men and women in law enforcement have made their decision for the state’s next top cop.”
Petersen criticized Mayes’ record and pledged to support law enforcement agencies if elected.
“Since taking office, Kris Mayes has attacked cops and undermined their authority in communities across the state,” Petersen said. “As Attorney General, I’ll support law enforcement as they carry out their duties to protect citizens and restore confidence in the relationship with the men and women who keep our community safe.”
Petersen’s campaign said the latest endorsements make him the first challenger to an incumbent Arizona attorney general to receive support from the state’s six largest police organizations.
Before Friday’s announcement, Petersen had received endorsements from the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police, Arizona Police Association, Arizona State Troopers Association, Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Arizona, and Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association.
Petersen has also received endorsements from five Republican attorneys general. Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers became the latest, joining Utah Attorney General Derek Brown, Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey, and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.
Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and retired Border Patrol agent Art Del Cueto have also endorsed Petersen.
Petersen has made law enforcement and public safety central parts of his campaign. His campaign platform calls for enforcing Arizona law, holding criminals accountable, protecting the rights of crime victims, and supporting law enforcement officers.
His campaign said in a press release on Friday, “The support from these officials and organizations reflects confidence that Petersen will restore integrity to the Attorney General’s Office, enforce the law fairly and fearlessly, and stand shoulder to shoulder with those who protect Arizona communities every day.”
