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 Matthew Holloway | May 20, 2025 | Education, News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a dramatic reversal of policy from the days of the Biden administration, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), under Secretary Linda McMahon and President Donald Trump, rescinded a $37 million fine against Grand Canyon University with prejudice Friday. The decision scraps the largest fine ever levied against a university by the USDOE.
As previously reported by AZ Free News, Grand Canyon University launched an appeal challenging the enormous fine and allegations of advertising false degree costs. The university was supported by the Goldwater Institute, which launched its own lawsuit in February after the USDOE failed to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request to gain clarity on the fine against GCU.
In a statement following the decision, GCU President Brian Mueller described the dismissal as welcome, but unsurprising news.
“The facts clearly support our contention that we were wrongly accused of misleading our Doctoral students and we appreciate the recognition that those accusations were without merit,” he said. “GCU is a leader in innovation, transparency and best practices in higher education and we look forward to working cooperatively with the Department in the future – just as we have with all regulatory agencies.”
The USDOE dismissed the case in its entirety with neither findings, fines, liabilities, nor penalties of any variety. According to GCU, the USDOE, “confirmed it has not established that GCU violated any Title IV requirements, including the claim that GCU ‘substantially misrepresented’ the cost of its doctoral programs that was alleged by ED officials under the Biden Administration. The Dismissal stated unequivocally that ‘there are no findings against GCU, or any of its employees, officers, agents, or contractors, and no fine is imposed.’”
In a statement the University said, “The proposed fine action was, by far, the largest the Department of Education had ever levied against a university. GCU filed an appeal to ED’s Office of Hearings and Appeals, maintaining that the unsubstantiated accusations were gross mischaracterizations based on isolated, out-of-context statements from certain enrollment documents and that, in fact, GCU students receive robust information about the time, cost and credits needed to complete a doctoral degree throughout their enrollment and onboarding process. Moreover, GCU maintains that its disclosures surrounding continuation courses, which are common in higher education doctoral programs, provide more information than is legally required or that other universities typically provide. As such, GCU has consistently insisted that it would contest any fine amount – even $1, let alone $37.7 million.”
In a post to X, Arizona Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ08) praised the dismissal writing, “The record-breaking fine imposed on Grand Canyon University (@gcu) was just one of many attacks by the Biden Administration on Christian organizations. Congressman Hamadeh applauds the Trump Administration’s decision to rescind the fine with prejudice.”
Congressman Andy Biggs made a similar post saying, “I’ve urged investigation into the outrageous fine since the moment it was handed down by the radical Biden-Harris regime. Thank you @POTUS and @EDSecMcMahon for working to ensure that the weaponization of government against @GCU isn’t allowed to stand!”
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 Dr. Thomas Patterson | May 9, 2025 | Opinion
By Dr. Thomas Patterson |
There has likely never been a more tendentious transfer of power in presidential history than the Biden-Harris team’s final act. They salted the ground by allocating billions of unspent COVID funds to George Soros and other radical left-wing groups.
Out of spite, they sold the border wall at giveaway prices. They tied down policy preventing offshore oil drilling, granted Social Security benefits to previously ineligible government employees, defied the Supreme Court to forgive student loans, and were uncooperative in relinquishing the VP residence.
Yet by far the most consequential crisis they unleashed is the massive number of illegal aliens now embedded within our borders. Many Americans were astonished to see our leadership not only ignore American immigration law but actively work for its violation.
Now we know for certain their claims that they needed more funding and legislation were made-up excuses. Their successors have reduced daily crossings to near-zero without the benefit of either.
Their attempted deceptions fooled some but not all. As public outcry grew, they doggedly persisted, willing to take the heat in order to transform America’s future electorate.
Worse, they succeeded. No reliable statistics are available for the getaways, unlawful crossings or total new “guests,” but most estimates are in the range of 20 million illegally within our borders.
Many sanctimonious Americans claim these lawbreakers should be allowed to stay for humanitarian reasons since they’re just “seeking a better life” or “fleeing persecution” in the case of the mostly bogus asylum seekers. But when a busload of “victims” was delivered to the left-wing enclave of Martha’s Vineyard, they were speedily transported elsewhere within a day.
That’s understandable, hypocrisy aside. These are not your grandfather’s immigrants, who wanted to be contributing Americans and often endured generations of hardship to assimilate, learn the language, and become self-supporting.
Today’s illegal immigrants are rewarded for wading the Rio Grande by becoming entitled wards of the state. They are fed, sheltered, and transported around the country. They are housed, sometimes in luxury hotels, and introduced by helpful NGOs to benefits like health care, education, and permanent food programs.
No serious consideration was given to the prospect that immigrants or their proxies would bear financial responsibility for all these goods and services. Thus, jurisdictions like New York City are feeling the pinch of what amounts to a sudden, dramatic expansion in their welfare roles, forcing out existing programs.
Trump made the resolution of this threat a major feature of his election campaign by vowing to close our borders and deport millions of illegal immigrants. To his credit, he has made a sincere effort, reducing breaches of the border from 130,000 monthly last April to a mere trickle today.
But reversing the inflow has proved more problematic. As of recently, relying almost solely on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to remove illegals has resulted in a total of 65,000 deportations. Those with criminal records have commendably been prioritized, but at the rate so far achieved, we would deport only 1 million, or about 5%, of those who are eligible, in four years.
Trump often prefers confrontation to resolve conflicts, but there’s a better way, using incentives and voluntary self-removal. Immigrants are attracted to America primarily by work and welfare. If those magnets could be eliminated, immigrants would eventually self-deport.
The welfare piece is relatively simple logistically. There is no coherent reason to grant benefits to those who intentionally defy our laws and take advantage of our generosity.
Government welfare benefits to illegals should be phased out immediately. Moreover, their home countries would benefit from having their working age citizens return.
Jobs are more complicated. E-Verify is the federal system for assuring that illegal immigrants don’t take American jobs, but it has not worked well, partly due to lack of cooperation from employers who frankly prefer foreign nationals who are compliant and work for less.
To prevent a future glut of unskilled, unneeded workers, President Trump must work with Congress to make E-Verify the enforceable law of the land. Like the border itself, it is simply a matter of having the will to make it happen. Lettuce may cost a bit more, but the vegetables will still get picked.
Dr. Thomas Patterson, former Chairman of the Goldwater Institute, is a retired emergency physician. He served as an Arizona State senator for 10 years in the 1990s, and as Majority Leader from 93-96. He is the author of Arizona’s original charter schools bill.
by Staff Reporter | May 9, 2025 | News
By Staff Reporter |
Gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson’s campaign just lost three key allies from President Donald Trump’s circle.
The three to depart Robson’s campaign according to Axios sources were Chris LaCivita, Tony Fabrizio, and Chris Grant.
LaCivita and Fabrizio were advisors to Robson’s campaign for the 2026 election; both men were considered key “architects” for Trump’s comeback campaign.
Prior to joining Robson’s campaign, LaCivita was co-campaign manager for President Donald Trump’s successful election bid last year. LaCivita is also employed by former Democratic Party of Albania leader and former prime minister Sali Berisha to advise on their country’s parliamentary election. LaCivita made a name for himself in the political world for crafting the Swift Boats Veterans for Truth which lended to the defeat of 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry.
Fabrizio served as the pollster for Trump’s 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns. In the final weeks leading up to the 2016 election, Fabrizio wrote an internal memo encouraging a greater campaign presence in blue-leaning states — a move that would assist Trump in securing both states.
Grant presided over the Trump-aligned super PAC, MAGA Inc., and works for the political consulting firm Big Dog Strategies. Fabrizio, along with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, were part of the PAC prior to joining Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Trump endorsed Robson in the days leading up to Christmas while speaking at Turning Point USA’s Americafest in Phoenix. Then, last month, Trump dropped a dual endorsement for Congressman Andy Biggs.
The dual endorsement marked the fifth for the president, and a second in a major Arizona race. In last year’s primary for the eighth congressional district, Trump endorsed both Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh.
In his endorsement announcement for Biggs, Trump explained he endorsed Robson because she had no other competitors running against her for the Republican primary.
“I like Karrin Taylor Robson of Arizona a lot, and when she asked me to Endorse her, with nobody else running, I Endorsed her, and was happy to do so,” said Trump. “When Andy Biggs decided to run for Governor, quite unexpectedly, I had a problem — Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions, and it is therefore my Great Honor TO GIVE MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH. Either one will never let you down. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Sources told Axios that advisors departed in part because Robson opted to not listen to them on running campaign ads featuring Trump’s endorsement immediately. Per the advisors, Robson ran an ad featuring the president’s endorsement nearly a week after Biggs received the second endorsement.
“She won’t listen to anyone else, so she can run her own campaign now,” one source reportedly told Axios.
The departure of the three key Trump affiliates follows another considerable blow to Robson’s campaign. Last week, Trump issued an executive order to end a policy supported by Robson: in-state college tuition for certain migrants.
Robson’s campaign didn’t comment on the departures of LaCivita, Fabrizio, or Grant.
Recent polling shows Biggs with a major lead over both Robson and incumbent Governor Katie Hobbs.
AZ Free News is your #1 source for Arizona news and politics. You can send us news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | May 9, 2025 | Economy, News
By Matthew Holloway |
Kelly Loeffler, Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), stopped in Arizona as part of her nationwide tour for National Small Business Week.
During an interview with Arizona’s James T. Harris on KFYI, Loeffler described the disastrous state of the SBA as she took office following her confirmation, and her efforts alongside President Donald Trump to get both the SBA and the small businesses it supports back to work.
Asked by Harris what happened when the SBA building went from a “ghost town,” to “workers actually show up and do the job,” she said, “It’s incredible. And it’s great to be part of President Trump’s restoration of main street across every corner of this great nation. He believes in the American worker. He believes in American industry. And he believes in getting the government back to work. And that’s what I did on my first day when 90% of the office was empty. We got people back to work real quick, and that’s thanks to President Trump’s leadership. And also, thanks to the fact that we have a lot of work to do getting back to working for the American people on main street not the globalists. Working for our job creators and not bureaucrats.”
Posting to X, Loeffler wrote, “Our job creators have endured endless challenges over the last four years. It’s great to see the optimism returning to Main Streets across America – including here in Arizona.”
Asked how American small businesses are driving the revival of the U.S. economy, Loeffler was fulsome in her praise:
“Well, it’s been incredible. I’ve been out across the country visiting our manufacturers of which there are thousands in this country, and they all tell me we have been fighting for two decades to make sure that people understand we can make it in America. And they’ve been hiring, they’ve been building. And now that President Trump is back in, they’re investing because reassuring and onshoring our supply chains is absolutely critical. It creates tremendous economic opportunity. If you think about the towns, the small towns, the urban areas that were just left behind. And I’ve seen it from Gary, Indiana, to you know out west everywhere. We had 70,000 factories closed in the last 30 years that cost us 5 million jobs that were exported out of Detroit to Beijing. And we have to make sure that we’re restoring American strength and job creators.”
“You know small businesses, let’s just level set here what are small businesses? Well, they represent 99% of all businesses in this great nation, and also of the manufacturers most of them, 99% of them, also are small businesses,” continued Loeffler. “And so, what they’re seeing is a president who wants to cut regulation. He wants to cut taxes, and he’s doing it. And he wants to make sure that we stand up to our allies and adversaries alike and say, ‘We’re not gonna be taken advantage of any longer. We’re gonna have fair trade.'”
Loeffler detailed the “Made in America” Manufacturing Initiative as well, telling Harris that the administration is working to make lending capital more available for American small businesses.
“What we are doing is focusing on, first of all, delivering access to capital is what I’m hearing from manufacturers across this country. That if they can just get a little bit larger loan size, then they can invest in that new CMC machine. They can hire more people. They can build out parts for their factory. What’s happening in these factories is incredible. It’s next generation smart manufacturing, and the investment in the equipment is, you know, you need computers you need people to run them. So we’re going to make sure the capital access is there, so our loans are doubling up from 5 million to 10 million.”
Loeffler also laid the blame firmly on the Biden administration for dropping stifling regulations on American businesses.
She said, “We’re working on deregulating because unfortunately under Joe Biden, he imposed about $1.7 trillion of excessive regulation. Most of that fell on the backs of our small businesses and our manufacturers. So, we’re working hard to deregulate. And then we’re also just advocating for developing a skilled workforce that doesn’t necessarily need a four-year degree. This is just helping have those on ramps into the modern economyfor these great blue collar or new-collar jobs and made in America.
Loeffler concluded, “That’s a tremendous opportunity. Only 9% of our country is involved in manufacturing of today. I used to be 35% in the 1950s. So somewhere in the middle is probably where we need to get back to. Because we don’t even make our fasteners anymore, nuts and bolts and screws. We’re dependent on China for that. We’ve… that can’t persist. We can’t become dependent on China for anything ever again. We saw that during COVID, so we’re helping turn that around, and President Trump understands that. It’s his job to fight for the American people. He’s the only one with the backbone to do it.”
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.
