by Matthew Holloway | Nov 12, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
President Donald J. Trump issued a sweeping proclamation granting unconditional pardons to dozens of figures tied to 2020 alternate-elector efforts on Friday. Trump described the move as ending a “grave national injustice” while shielding allies from potential federal prosecution.
The pardon, signed by Trump acting under Article II, section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, explicitly states that it “ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation.”
The proclamation covers any advice, organization, execution, participation in or advocacy for proposed slates of electors – whether recognized by state officials or not – submitted in battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin, where alternate elector certificates were filed in an effort to challenge results certified for then-candidate Joe Biden. It applies to federal offenses only and does not extend to state-level charges, nor does it pardon Trump himself, with the document noting: “This pardon does not apply to the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.”
Ed Martin, a Justice Department attorney serving as U.S. Pardon Attorney, announced the pardons late Sunday on X, posting images of the four-page proclamation and stating, “Breaking: President Trump pardoned the 2020 Alternative Electors. Thank you: @POTUS for allowing me, as U.S. Pardon Attorney, to work with @WhiteHouse, along with @AGPamBondi, @DAGToddBlanche & SG John Sauer, to achieve your intent—let their healing begin. #Federalist74.” Martin shared the document in a reply to his earlier post with the comment, “No MAGA left behind.”
The pardon names 77 individuals explicitly, though it states the list is not exhaustive and encompasses broader conduct tied to the alternate elector efforts. Prominent figures included are former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; attorneys Sidney Powell, John Eastman, and Kenneth Chesebro; former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; Trump campaign aides Boris Epshteyn and Christina Bobb; and Georgia Republican Party officials David Shafer, Cathy Latham, and Shawn Still.
Among the Arizona Republicans named are former state GOP Chair Dr. Kelli Ward, Dr. Michael Ward, former U.S. Senate candidate James (Jim) Lamon, former state Sen. Anthony Kern, state Sen. Jake Hoffman, and Turning Point USA COO Tyler Bowyer.
These pardons do not affect ongoing state prosecutions, however, such as those currently pending review by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.
Dr. Kelli Ward responded to the pardon in a statement posted to X writing:
“President @realDonaldTrump has issued a Federal pardon which will protect us from future Federal Democrat lawfare. @jimmythemole001 [Dr. Michael Ward] and I are grateful for this and we maintain our innocence as well as our right to challenge elections in America. Thanks to @EagleEdMartin, @CletaMitchell, and others for not forgetting all of us and the 2020 election debacle that has caused so much harm to our great country.
It’s been a long road and we aren’t quite at the end yet. We still face state charges though a state judge has already ruled the state violated our rights and the Appeals Court refused to take up the case. The Democrat AG has until 11/21/25 to decide whether she will appeal to the state Supreme Court to continue her partisan targeting of her political adversaries or if she will drop the case. Keep us in your prayers.”
Other named recipients include: Jenna Ellis, Jeffrey Clark, Scott Hall, Harrison Floyd, Ray Smith, Misty Hampton, Trevian Kutti, Michael Roman, Stephen Cliffgard Lee, Robert Cheeley, Mark Amick, Kathy Berden, Joseph Brannan, Carol Brunner, Mary Buestrin, Daryl Carlson, James “Ken” Carroll, and Brad Carver.
The alternate elector documents were created in December 2020 and asserted that President Trump had won those states while the results were being contested, following the precedent of the 1960 Presidential Election in Hawaii. They were submitted to Congress and the National Archives ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, electoral vote certification. None of the 77 individuals faced federal charges, rendering the pardons largely preemptive against potential future prosecutions, according to reports. Separately, Trump pardoned more than 1,000 individuals convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach, which stemmed from efforts to disrupt the election certification.
Acting-CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Kari Lake, praised the action early Monday on X, writing, “God bless you, President @realDonaldTrump, for pardoning these folks. Most of them are incredible Patriots. They didn’t deserve what came their way.”
Replies to both posts reflected divided sentiment, with supporters calling the recipients “honorable” and victims of “political persecution.” At the same time, critics labeled them “anti-American” and the pardons a “perversion of justice.”
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.
by Staff Reporter | Sep 27, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Court of Appeals declined to accept Attorney General Kris Mayes’ appeal to prosecute President Donald Trump’s 2020 electors.
The appeals court order said in a brief ruling that, based on its “discretion,” it would not overturn a superior court ruling requiring Mayes to again secure an indictment from a grand jury.
This determination comes just four months after the Maricopa County Superior Court remanded Mayes’ case back to the grand jury.
The judge found that Mayes violated due process when seeking felony indictments for conspiracy, fraud, and forgery against 11 Trump electors.
According to the ruling, Mayes’ failure to give the grand jury a document critical to the electors’ defense, the Electoral Count Act of 1887 (ECA), before securing the indictment deprived the 2020 electors of due process. The ruling meant, effectively, that Mayes had to redo her entire case.
The 2020 electors argued they acted lawfully and in good faith under the ECA.
The attorney general attempted to justify withholding the full text of the ECA from the grand jury by citing the inclusion of “relevant portions” dispersed through memorandums, an interview, a letter, and an article from CNN. The judge declined to accept that select passages of the ECA contextualized in disparate works were equal to the document in its unabridged entirety.
“A prosecutor has a duty to instruct the grand jury on all the law applicable to the facts of the case,” stated the judge. “Due process compels the prosecutor to make a fair and impartial presentation to the grand jury. … Because the State failed to provide the ECA to the grand jury, the Court finds that the defendants were denied a substantial procedural right as guaranteed by Arizona law.”
In order to prosecute the 2020 electors, the superior court ruled, Mayes would have to disclose the full ECA to a grand jury before securing an indictment.
Arizona GOP Chairwoman Gina Swoboda said Mayes is unfit for office due to her focus on lawfare against political opponents distracting from criminal prosecutions.
“Arizona families deserve an Attorney General who prosecutes criminals, not political opponents,” said Swoboda. “Five years later, Kris Mayes is still fixated on 2020 while violent crime, fentanyl trafficking, and border chaos threaten our communities every single day. This obsession is not justice — it’s politics.”
A spokesman for Mayes would not say to reporters whether they would appeal to the state supreme court. However, Mayes’ communications director, Richie Taylor, rejected Swoboda’s accusation in a statement.
“This case has never been about anything other than preserving democracy and upholding the rule of law,’’ said Taylor. “Pretending it’s politically motivated is just a convenient way for the GOP chair to distract from the facts of the case.’’
This statement was among the first public comments issued by Taylor since deleting his social media accounts after his online commentary emerged on Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Tyler Bowyer, the CEO of Turning Point Action (the political action arm of TPUSA) and indicted elector in Mayes’ case, expressed relief at Monday’s ruling and scorn for Mayes’ continued expenditure of public funding on this case.
“Another huge loss for the radical AG who has wasted millions of AZ taxpayer dollars!” posted Bowyer on X.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | May 20, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Maricopa County Superior Court ruled that Attorney General Kris Mayes must redo her entire case against the 2020 Trump electors.
In a ruling issued on Monday in Arizona v. Bowyer, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sam Myers sided with the electors’ argument that Mayes failed to instruct the grand jury as to the applicable provisions of the Electoral Count Act of 1887, or “ECA.” Myers remanded the case back to the grand jury — meaning Mayes must start over if she still hopes to prosecute Trump’s allies in Arizona.
Myers didn’t buy Mayes’ justification for not providing the full ECA to jurors; the attorney general argued the provision of “relevant portions” of the ECA via several Kenneth Chesebro memorandums and an interview, a letter from State Sen. Jake Hoffman’s counsel, and a CNN article were sufficient.
Myers ruled Mayes had failed to provide due process to the electors by not providing “the actual text and provisions” of the ECA.
“A prosecutor has a duty to instruct the grand jury on all the law applicable to the facts of the case,” stated Myers. “Due process compels the prosecutor to make a fair and impartial presentation to the grand jury. … Because the State failed to provide the ECA to the grand jury, the Court finds that the defendants were denied a substantial procedural right as guaranteed by Arizona law.”
Mayes indicted 11 electors for President Donald Trump’s unsuccessful 2020 run: Tyler Bowyer, COO of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) arm Turning Point Action; Nancy Cottle, former electors chair and Arizona Federation of Republican Women leader; Sen. Jake Hoffman; former State Sen. Anthony Kern; Jim Lamon, 2022 Senate candidate; Robert Montgomery, former Cochise County GOP Committee chair; Samuel Moorhead, former Gila County GOP leader; Loraine Pellegrino, former electors secretary and president of Ahwatukee Republican Women; Greg Safsten, former Arizona GOP executive director; and Kelli Ward, former Arizona GOP chair, and her husband, Michael Ward.
The electors faced felony charges of conspiracy, fraud, and forgery.
These defendants argued the ECA protected their role as electors for Trump in 2020, saying the law allowed for competing electors in disputed elections.
Hoffman called the case against him and fellow electors “a witch hunt” and “a cheap political campaign promise” by Mayes.
“As I’ve said from day one, the truth is on my side, justice will prevail, and I will be vindicated,” said Hoffman. “In the meantime, Kristin will keep showing the public what a total joke she is.”
TPUSA founder and CEO, Charlie Kirk, called the ruling a “major embarrassment” for Mayes.
“It has been political from the very start and never should have happened, and we need to make sure all similar such charges are dropped against all Trump supporters, in all swing states,” said Kirk.
Mayes spokesman Richie Taylor said their office would file an appeal.
“We vehemently disagree with the court and we will file a special action to appeal the ruling,” said Taylor.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Staff Reporter | Mar 28, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
The Arizona Court of Appeals judge in the “alternate electors” case donated to Attorney General Mayes when she was campaigning on prosecuting President Donald Trump’s 2020 electors.
On Wednesday, the day after Attorney General Kris Mayes asked the court to reject the lower court’s ruling, the appeals court held oral arguments in the alternate electors case.
The appeals court judge on the case, Andrew Jacobs, was appointed by Governor Katie Hobbs in February 2023. Jacobs donated $500 to Mayes’ campaign for the office in 2022. At the time, Jacobs was an attorney with Snell and Wilmer.
Several days after Mayes promised publicly to investigate the 2020 electors, Jacobs submitted his first donation to her campaign.
“I would have immediately investigated the alternate electors as Attorney General,” said Mayes. “Arizona needs a #LawyerForthePeople.”
Jacobs submitted his second donation to Mayes’ campaign the day after an Arizona Republic article emerged highlighting the differences between her and then-opponent (now congressman) Abe Hamadeh.
A source that observed the emergency hearing described Jacobs as “hostile” to the electors. During oral arguments, the conflict of interest was raised, however, Jacbos still voted on an issue in the case, the decision to grant a stay.
Last month, Maricopa County Judge Sam Myers ruled the 2020 electors, 16 in total, provided sufficient evidence that Mayes’ case against them may be dismissable for violating Arizona’s Anti-SLAPP law.
Anti-SLAPP, or “strategic lawsuits against public participation,” imposes civil liability against any state actor that brings or maintains a legal action substantially motivated by a desire to deter, retaliation against, or prevent free speech and association.
Myers said the 2020 electors demonstrated their actions to comprise “at least in part some arguably lawful speech.” Myers cited Mayes’ remarks announcing the indictments as potential proof of a political motivation behind her prosecution.
Mayes disagreed with the ruling. The attorney general said the 2020 creation of an alternate elector slate didn’t constitute free speech and shouldn’t be afforded constitutional protections.
“It is not the lawful exercise of free speech to file forged slates of electors to deprive Arizona voters of their right to vote,” said Mayes.
In order to counter Myers’ ruling, Mayes had to prove in a brief due earlier this week that she wasn’t motivated by a desire to retaliate or deter the 2020 electors’ free speech rights.
The outcome of that motion to dismiss the case remains pending.
Myers did deny motions to dismiss Mayes’ case last week, however. The motions claimed Mayes lacked authority to bring the case to court and failed to allege crimes committed.
Last November, the first judge on the case, Bruce Cohen, recused himself after emails emerged in which he ordered his fellow judges to come to the defense of then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The defendants in the case include former AZGOP Chair Dr. Kelli Ward, Dr. Michael Ward, former executive director of the AZGOP Greg Safsten, former Arizona State Senator Anthony Kern, former Senate Candidate Jim Lamon, former Cochise County Republican Committee chair Robert Montgomery, former Cochise County Republican Committee chair Samuel Moorhead, Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman, Turning Point USA COO Tyler Bowyer, and attorneys John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, Christina Bobb, as well as President Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Campaign Aide Boris Epshteyn, and director of Election Day operations Mike Roman.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Feb 15, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
The 16 prominent Republicans prosecuted for their participation in creating an alternate Electoral College slate for the 2020 presidential election are one step closer to having their charges dismissed. Earlier this week, a Maricopa County Judge ruled that Attorney General Mayes may have been politically motivated to charge them.
On Monday, Maricopa County Judge Sam Myers ruled that the defendants successfully demonstrated that the charges against them could comprise an attack on what he deemed is “at least in part some arguably lawful speech.” This ruling could trigger a dismissal through Arizona’s Anti-SLAPP law, a statute designed to prevent legal action launched to suppress free speech. In the text of Arizona’s Anti-SLAPP law, the prosecution must now establish “the legal action on which the motion is based is justified by clearly established law and that the responding party did not act in order to deter, prevent or retaliate against the moving party’s exercise of constitutional rights.” As reported by Courthouse News, Judge Myers said that a statement from Arizona Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes, while announcing the indictment of the 16 Republicans that “this should never happen again,” could potentially show a political motivation to the prosecution.
As the outlet noted, Arizona prosecutors led by Mayes, have 45 days from the date of the ruling to respond to the judge’s ruling and prove to the court that the charges were brought in order to enforce existing Arizona laws and not to suppress the freedom of speech under the First Amendment. Myers said he will rule on the motion to dismiss once he’s received and considered the response. Responding to the ruling, Mayes promised an appeal in a press release saying, “We disagree with this ruling, and we will pursue an appeal.” She reiterated her claim adding, “It is not the lawful exercise of free speech to file forged slates of electors to deprive Arizona voters of their right to vote.”
The defendants in the case include former AZGOP Chair Dr. Kelli Ward, Dr. Michael Ward, former executive director of the AZGOP Greg Safsten, former Arizona State Senator Anthony Kern, former Senate Candidate Jim Lamon, former Cochise County Republican Committee chair Robert Montgomery, former Cochise County Republican Committee chair Samuel Moorhead, Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman, Turning Point USA COO Tyler Bowyer, and attorneys John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, Christina Bobb, as well as President Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Campaign Aide Boris Epshteyn, and director of Election Day operations Mike Roman.
Following the ruling, Eastman posted to X, “Major ruling in the Arizona electors case this a.m. The new judge just ruled that I met the prima facie case required to dismiss under the anti-SLAPP statute — that is, 1st Amend. rights implicated, & substantial evid. that the prosecution was to retaliate or deter those rights.”
Eastman added, “Just to clarify. The AG now has to prove that she wasn’t motivated by desire to retaliate or deter 1A rights. Their brief is due March 25. The judge also rejected the AG’s claim that the anti-SLAPP statute is unconstitutional.”
Fellow defendant Dr. Kelli Ward explained on X, “The court found sufficient showing in the defense’s arguments to warrant moving to stage 2 of the process in AZ’s criminal anti-slapp statute. Now the state has to prove that this case was not politically motivated and they must show that they’re using established precedent and not interpreting the law in new ways.”
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.
