By Jon Dougherty. Media: Explain America.
OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
The outgoing Republican attorney general in Arizona, Mark Brnovich, has invoked a former president to send a strong message to Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs after she certified her own gubernatorial election victory earlier this week. On Monday, as she and other state elected officials, including the AG’s office, outgoing GOP Gov. Doug Ducey, and the state’s chief justice, certified the results, Hobbs pushed back on what she described as “false narratives” following a wave of complaints from voters about Election Day polling issues.
The Western Journal noted: “At the bizarre private event, Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich made it known through his body language and veiled remarks that his reluctant presence did not mean he agreed that the election results should have been certified.”
“I didn’t know we were giving speeches today, but the governor and I merely serve as witnesses to the certification,” he said, referring to Ducey. “We do not actually certify the election.”
He added a quote from President John F. Kennedy: “I am reminded of what John F. Kennedy often said: ‘Those who ride the tiger to seek power often end up inside.’”
Brnovich, who lost the GOP primary earlier this year to eventual nominee Kari Lake, was paraphrasing from JFK’s 1961 inaugural address, in which he said, “Those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.”
WATCH:
Arizona Attorney @GeneralBrnovich response to @katiehobbs speech on fighting election disinfo:
"I didn't know we were giving speeches today, but the governor and I are merely witnesses to the certification. […] Those who ride the tiger to seek power often end up inside." pic.twitter.com/tqn1LduxmR— Corinne Murdock (@CorinneMurdock) December 6, 2022
Following his comments, Lake took to Twitter to praise Brnovich for his remarks: “Well said, @GeneralBrnovich.”
For her part, Lake has been extremely vocal about the election, highlighting the many complaints from Arizona voters in the weeks since the election, including hours-long voting lines, polling station issues that included printers running out of ink, and scanning machine issues, all of which, she alleges, led to widespread voter disenfranchisement, though she has presented no direct evidence of such.
“When you don’t punish the corruption that happens in the dark of night. They start to feel a lot more comfortable doing it in broad daylight,” she charged on Twitter Wednesday in a post that contained a video clip of Hobbs certifying her win.
When you don't punish the corruption that happens in the dark of night.
They start to feel a lot more comfortable doing it in broad daylight. https://t.co/UeeQi4SDOi
— Kari Lake War Room (@KariLakeWarRoom) December 6, 2022
“As we’ve learned these past few years, protecting our democracy requires everyone’s participation to help discern truth from fiction and listen to experts seeking to uphold our laws and republic rather than promote conspiracies,” Hobbs said.
“False claims that undermine our democracy remain prevalent,” Hobbs continued. “You can help combat these threats by getting involved,” she said. “Learn from your trusted election officials and share accurate information with your family and friends. Push back on and refuse to accept false narratives.
“Arizona had a successful election, but too often throughout the process, powerful voices proliferated misinformation that threatened to disenfranchise voters. Democracy prevailed, but it’s not out of the woods. 2024 will bring a host of challenges from the election denial community that we must prepare for,” she said.
“But for now, Arizonans can stand proud knowing that this election was conducted with transparency, accuracy and fairness in accordance with Arizona’s election laws and procedures.”
Following the certification earlier this week, by law in Arizona, Lake had five days to file legal challenges, which she apparently has done. She told Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast: “We’re ready to go with what we believe to be an exceptional lawsuit. And we believe we will be victorious in that lawsuit. We’ll take it all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to. We will not stop fighting.”
Over the weekend, Lake’s campaign issued a blistering response after being rebuked by a federal judge appointed by then-President Barack Obama, who also imposed a fine after filing an election-related lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge John Tuchi of the District of Arizona rejected a Lake lawsuit earlier this year and then moved to fine her attorneys and those of Republican Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem last week.
“Imposing sanctions, in this case, is not to ignore the importance of putting in place procedures to ensure that our elections are secure and reliable,” Tuchi wrote in his order. “It is to make clear that the Court will not condone litigants ignoring the steps that Arizona has already taken toward this end and furthering false narratives that baselessly undermine public trust at a time of increasing disinformation about, and distrust in, the democratic process.
“It is to send a message to those who might file similarly baseless suits in the future,” Tuchi’s order noted further.
That led to a fiery response from Lake’s legal team, which accused him of acting in a politically motivated manner while disputing his conclusions.
“This case is not about money or gain,” said Lake campaign spokesperson Ross Trumble in a statement to media outlets. “It was essentially a public interest lawsuit seeking electoral integrity.
“It is very, very rare to sanction a party in public interest suits. All in all, this reads like an angry Obama appointee who wants to send a message. The message is if you lose, shut up and don’t come to court. The message is not that you lost a case or acted in bad faith,” he added.