Kris Mayes
Arizona Attorney General referred to the DOJ for alleged obstruction of justice and witness tampering related to the federal grand jury investigation into Arizona's 2020 election.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kris Mayes |
| Position | Arizona Attorney General (27th), since January 2023 |
| Party | Democrat (formerly Republican; left party in 2019) |
| Legal Status | Referred to DOJ by AZ Senate President (April 7, 2026); no charges filed as of this writing |
| Election Margin | Won 2022 AG race by 280 votes over Abraham Hamadeh — mandatory recount required |
| Education | JD, ASU Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law; MPA, Columbia University |
Allegations Against Her
All allegations below are unproven and disputed. Kris Mayes denies them. Attribution is included throughout per defamation prevention rules.
Witness Tampering Allegation
According to Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen's April 7, 2026 DOJ referral, on March 9, 2026 — four days after the FBI served Petersen a grand jury subpoena for Cyber Ninjas audit records — Mayes co-signed a letter with Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to all 15 Arizona county recorders. The letter reportedly warned recorders NOT to comply with federal requests for voter data, allegedly claiming such compliance would "violate both federal and state law" and urging them to "decline any such illegal demands."
Petersen's referral alleges this letter constitutes witness tampering because it was sent to potential witnesses in an active grand jury investigation, pressuring them not to cooperate with federal investigators. The law firm Snell & Wilmer, retained by Petersen, reportedly issued a legal opinion concluding that no prohibitory law exists and that the letter misstated the law.
Obstruction Allegation
On March 31, 2026, Mayes reportedly sent a letter to Petersen requesting detailed information about which records the Senate had turned over to the FBI. Petersen characterized this, according to KJZZ and AZ Family reporting, as an inappropriate attempt to determine what evidence federal investigators had obtained from an active grand jury investigation.
Active Litigation over Voter Rolls
Separately, Mayes is reported to be in active litigation with the DOJ over her refusal to provide voter rolls containing personally identifiable information to federal investigators.
Her Defense and Denials
Mayes issued a statement through the Arizona AG's office disputing Petersen's characterization. According to the AZ AG press release, she characterized the underlying federal investigation as an attempt to "weaponize the federal grand jury process" to circumvent court rulings that have repeatedly rejected demands related to Arizona's 2020 election. She reportedly characterized Petersen's DOJ referral as "laying groundwork to deny the results of the 2026 election if they don't go their way."
Regarding the March 9 letter to county recorders, Mayes and Fontes publicly framed their actions as protecting voter privacy and Arizona's election infrastructure from federal overreach — not as obstructing a legitimate investigation.
Background
Mayes was previously a Republican, serving as chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission. She left the Republican Party in 2019, citing "Trumpism." She later taught at ASU Law School before running for attorney general as a Democrat in 2022. Her 280-vote margin of victory — one of the closest statewide races in Arizona history — required a mandatory recount.
She has been a consistent opponent of Trump administration election-related demands, including resisting the DOGE-era push for voter data, and has been censured by the Arizona House on a party-line vote for other legal positions.
Related Profiles
- Arizona — State hub for all Arizona 2020 election allegations
- Adrian_Fontes — Co-signed the March 9 letter; also referred to DOJ
- Warren_Petersen — Arizona Senate President who made the DOJ referral
- FBI — FBI Phoenix Field Office issued the underlying grand jury subpoena
Other Coverage Worth Reading
- Arizona: Full Arizona 2020 overview — Cyber Ninjas found Biden's margin increased; USPS backdating claims; Dominion in Maricopa County.
- Adrian_Fontes: Co-referred to DOJ; Secretary of State who replaced Katie Hobbs.
- FBI: FBI issued the grand jury subpoena for Cyber Ninjas audit records that triggered this chain of events.
- Dominion Voting Systems: Dominion used in Maricopa County — central to original audit now under federal review.
Sources
- AZ AG Mayes statement on Warren Petersen's referral — AZ AG Press Release, April 2026
- AZ Senate president accuses Mayes, Fontes of witness tampering — KJZZ, April 7, 2026
- Arizona Senate President calls on DOJ to investigate — 12 News, April 8, 2026
- Mayes, Fontes warn county recorders to keep voter data confidential — Votebeat, March 2026
- Kris Mayes — Wikipedia
Status: Alive
This information was compiled by Claude AI research.