Corrections and clarifications: Staff of Attorney General Chris Mays told staff of former Attorney General Mark Brnovic that the new administration will not need Jennifer Wright’s services. I was. Based on a statement from a spokesperson for the Attorney General, an earlier version of the article incorrectly stated that she had left office. Wright’s tweet about what she’ll do for the New Year was posted on Jan. 1. An earlier version of the article had the wrong date.
The controversial head of the Election Integrity Division has lost his job in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Jennifer Wright, who publicly endorsed right-wing candidates and then used her office to investigate their election losses, has been removed from her position, a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said Jan. 4. rice field.
A spokesperson for newly elected Attorney General Chris Mays said one of the administration’s first official actions was to tell Wright to resign or fire him, her office confirmed a day later. Pressed on the matter, the Mays administration said it did not know whether she received the information directly.
Mays has pledged to shift the unit’s primary duties from investigating allegations of voter fraud to combating voter intimidation and threats to election officials. He said he should guarantee protection and ensure “there is no voter suppression in Arizona.”
Wright said in a social media post on Jan. 5, denied that she was firedShe said she resigned before Mays took office. She retired from serving in the Attorney General’s Office in December 2022, according to her LinkedIn page.
A Jan. 9 statement from Mayes’ office said he notified the administration of then-Attorney General Mark Brnovich “several times” in late November and December that Wright would not be retained.
“Attorney General Mays did not have access to his office until January 2nd,ndit was communicated to the administration of then-Attorney General Brnovic that Jennifer Wright’s services were no longer needed,” the statement said.
“Mr. Wright resigned on December 31st.st Her office was empty when the Mays administration arrived. The Mays administration is unaware of any direct messages from the Brnovic administration to Ms. Wright, if any. ”
Wright, who was appointed by Brnovic to spearhead the newly formed unit in 2019, was initially not asked for comment, but she remains active on social media.
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Wright issued a legal ultimatum to Maricopa County election officials a week after the November 8 general election, saying that about 30% of polling places had equipment problems that prevented machines from reading ballots. He claimed that he may have violated the law because he was gone.
But an investigation by the Arizona Republic in November found that Wright had criticized county officials and made questionable claims about procedures 10 days before sending the request.
In a series of Twitter posts that began on Election Day, Wright suggested county officials were incompetent and claimed they weren’t counting votes quickly enough. and raised the issue a few weeks before the election.
In a series of tweets on November 9, Wright wrote, “Incompetently incompetent.” .”
Legal and government ethicists say Mr. Wright’s posts pose a potential conflict of interest, so Mr. Wright could either decline himself or refrain from overseeing an investigation that could benefit the candidate he supports. Said it should be removed.
Those include Governor Kari Lake and Attorney General Abe Hamade, both backed by former President Donald Trump, who built their campaigns on baseless allegations of voter fraud. Both candidates have filed lawsuits challenging their losses and, despite losing those lawsuits, continue to argue without proof that the county has disenfranchised thousands of voters.
Former Maricopa County prosecutor Rick Romley said on Jan. 5 that it was clear Mr. Wright was using his position to run partisan politics. Romley said she accused Maricopa County officials of misconduct on Election Day, but she kept quiet about other election irregularities.
“I found it embarrassing for her to demand so much about Maricopa County matters, but she didn’t even write to Cochise County officials about the obvious violation of the law,” he said. said.
Romley and former Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard have prosecutors to consider criminal charges against Cochise County supervisors who refused to prove county elections until a judge ordered them to do so on Dec. 1. urged the officer
Romley said it showed Wright wasn’t seriously pursuing the electoral integrity case unless it aligned with his own political beliefs.
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Brnovic has made no public statements about Wright’s work, her letters to county supervisors, or her social media activities in her final weeks in office.
Wright’s Nov. 19 letter spurred hard-liners in the Republican Party seeking to question the reliability of voting systems and election results in Arizona’s most populous county. It also raised the profile of the Election Integrity Unit, which faced criticism from fellow Republicans for not doing enough to uncover widespread fraud.
County officials refuted Wright’s allegations in a five-page letter the day before they certified the election results. You wrote that you asked for information about non-existent procedures that are not required by law, such as a “checkout” policy.
After The Republic’s Nov. 25 article, Wright attempted to clarify his Election Day post. She also restricted access to her Twitter feed.
Wright said “some people” didn’t understand her tweet, which referred to posting the results of in-person voting on Election Day.
“Historically, at least some of them are released between 10 and 11 p.m. on election night,” she wrote in the post. I tweeted the ration.”
Wright has identified his Twitter account as personal, but he used it to promote his former office and make statements about the importance of election integrity.
Her activism on social media has evolved from simple political activism to including the culture war screed. She has frequently lashed out at vaccines, COVID-19, and transgender issues. This week was no exception, with repeated posts and retweets about the dangers of vaccines.
Wright’s legal career was built on a voting reform effort that critics say sought to limit voter access. She has deep ties to groups accused of disenfranchising voters and spreading false election fraud claims. She once warned that an unnamed force was trying to steal power from the people by manipulating votes.
Wright stepped onto the local political arena in 2011 when he failed to run for mayor of Phoenix. She ran in her crowded field as a Republican of Tea Her Party, in which she described herself as “a native Phoenician, an economist, a lawyer, and an activist.” She has taken part in campaigns to limit government and support small businesses.
A review of Wright’s Twitter account on Thursday found no mention of her ousting in the Attorney General’s Office. Mentioned in a January 1st post She was looking for directions for the new year.
“I am patiently waiting for God to reveal ‘when people and their causes need (me) most’.” Here we are in 2023. God make it the best ever like.”
Robert Angren is an investigative reporter for the Republic.contact him robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8694. follow him on twitter @robertanglen.
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