On Monday, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich schooled U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on the U.S. Constitution, as it relates to states’ rights to manage elections.
TGP Correspondent Jordan Conradson spoke with AZ State Senator Wendy Rogers, who previously put Garland in check with the threat of imprisonment if he tries to interfere with the Arizona Senate’s election audit.
State Senator Rogers, a retired USAF fighter pilot, has seen worse.
Conradson: It looks like you inspired Attorney General Brnovich to stand up to the federal government as well.
Rogers: Well, we were just happy as Arizona state senators to have our Attorney General, essentially codify our stand as a state because this is a states rights issue, and we don’t need the DOJ telling us what our business is. And so for Attorney General Brnovich to do this, it made all of us very pleased yesterday evening. We talked amongst ourselves and we were very happy to have his stamp of approval.
Conradson: Attorney General Brnovich calls this “posturing”, he doesn’t think they’re serious, but he also let them know that we’re not playing around here in Arizona. What do you think, do you think it’s posturing?
Rogers: Well, I think the Attorney General has a fine legal mind. He’s a very schooled attorney, and for him to put this in writing, just sort of puts a bow on the package that we are Arizona. We are a western, tough-minded, tenacious hardscrabble state, And for the federal government to come in to tell us what our business is when we’ve had this upheld by four different courts, it’s been a huge deep dive gold plated gold standard operation with all these other states coming to see us now. I believe that that made the DOJ and possibly nervous as to the inevitability of the truth, finding that will eventually occur. And then of course we had to push back as a state.
Conradson: they sent a letter to Senate President Karen Fann, about a month ago and President Fann responded to those concerns that they had, and they stayed silent for a long time. Why do you think they’re just now getting involved as we’re wrapping up the hand recount finding discrepancies?
Rogers: I think it’s largely because of all these people from different states, who I’ve had the honor to host who have come away with the scales falling from their eyes, and just being absolutely uplifted and encouraged that they can take these data points home on how this audit has been conducted. They can take it home to their state. And depending on the makeup of their state legislature, or what their state constitution allows, they can move forward. This is now a roadshow if you will. I mean it’s packageable. The lessons learned the best business practices that have been accrued have been nothing short of magnificent.
Conradson: why do you think the Department of Justice is choosing this and not actually taking a look at serious concerns of voter fraud in the 2020 election?
Rogers: Well, I think they’re waiting to see what we find. And we will find the truth. We absolutely will find the truth. And I say that the DOJ you need to get down to the border and fix the drug trafficking problem and the human trafficking problem.
Conradson: That is right. Do you have a message for other state legislators in other states, to not be afraid, or what they should do if the DOJ tries to meddle in their affairs?
Rogers: Just look to the precedent that we here in Arizona are setting, and I would never have predicted it when I began running for the state senate, two years ago. we have a one-vote majority in the State Senate, and if we didn’t have that, we wouldn’t be able to pursue this audit. So, we need to have resolve and spine in other state legislatures all over the country so that they can take the steps, that they can to ensure the truth is found for 2020, and then election integrity can be restored for 2022.
Senator Rogers is confident that the DOJ is panicking and Garland will not dare mess with the rough and tough Arizonans.
Merrick, where have you been while millions are invading our southern border? Where were you when it was reported nearly a month ago that, “Customs and Border Protection seized more fentanyl so far in 2021 than all of 2020”?
Legislators, do not be afraid to stand up to this injustice by our federal government. If we stand united, we hold the power.