An Arizona lawmaker has released his mugshot in connection to his indictment under Attorney General Kris Mayes for serving as a 2020 elector for former President Donald Trump.
In a press release and social media posts issued Tuesday with his remarks, Senator Jake Hoffman said that Mayes had no evidence and no investigation prior to declaring him guilty of a crime. He accused the attorney general of weaponizing the government against her political enemies: Republicans.
“In war, only leaders are targeted for assassination. This is a political war. You can persecute us. You can attack us. But you will never silence us. Truth will always prevail. Never surrender. Before an investigation had even been conducted and with no evidence, Kris Mayes declared that she believed electors such as myself were guilty of a crime, that it was her job to get Biden re-elected, and that she would control the timing of the indictment. Let me be unequivocal, I am innocent of any crime, I will vigorously defend myself, and I look forward to the day when I am vindicated of this naked political persecution by the judicial process.”
In war, only leaders are targeted for assassination.
This is a political war.
You can persecute us.
You can attack us.
But you will never silence us.
Truth will always prevail.
NEVER SURRENDER. pic.twitter.com/NeYUL7V44z
— Jake Hoffman (@JakeHoffmanAZ) July 3, 2024
Hoffman released the mugshot after his pretrial hearing on Tuesday. The pretrial hearing affirmed the trial assignment date for October 3, which will determine the dates for the trial procedure conference and jury selection.
The Arizona Superior Court grand jury indicted Hoffman and 10 other electors in April on charges of conspiracy, forgery, and fraud.
The indictment accused the 11 electors of falsely claiming widespread election fraud in an effort to pressure election officials — namely then-Vice President Mike Pence — to change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
“[D]efendants wanted Pence to either declare [Trump] the winner of the election, delay the proceeding and have individual state legislatures determine their electors, or have Congress resolve any claimed uncertainty about the validity of election results in Arizona and six other states in [Trump’s’] favor,” read the indictment.
The other Arizonan electors handed indictments were Kelli Ward, former AZGOP chair, and her husband, Michael Ward; Tyler Bowyer, Turning Point USA COO; Nancy Cottle, Arizona Trump electors chair; Anthony Kern, state senator; Jim Lamon, 2022 Senate candidate; Robert Montgomery, former Cochise County Republican Committee leader; Samuel Moorhead, former Gila County Republican Party leader; Lorraine Pelligrino, former Arizona Trump electors secretary, Arizona Federation of Republican Women leader, and Republican National Committee delegate; and Gregory Safsten, former AZGOP executive director and Congressman Andy Biggs’ deputy chief of staff.
Seven others were also indicted on felony charges under redactions: Christina Bobb, John Eastman, Jenna Ellis, Boris Epshteyn, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and Mike Roman.
All pleaded not guilty.
The Arizona GOP has criticized the indictments as an abuse of prosecutorial power.
Hoffman’s attorneys filed to have Mayes’ indictment dismissed late last month under Arizona’s anti-SLAPP statute (SLAPP: strategic lawsuit against public participation), which guards against retaliation for exercising a constitutional right. The Wards and Lamon filed similar dismissal requests.
Hoffman was also elected to serve as a Republican National Committee member earlier this year, as were Cottle and Kern.
