FBI Subpoenas Arizona Senate Regarding Maricopa 2020 Audit

Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen (R-AZ) confirmed this week that he handed over records from the state’s controversial 2020 election audit to federal authorities. The move follows a grand jury subpoena tied to a broader review of past election activities in battleground states.

The FBI has expanded its criminal investigation into alleged irregularities in the 2020 presidential election, issuing a grand jury subpoena for extensive records on voting results in Maricopa County.

The subpoena, issued in recent days to the Arizona State Senate, seeks details from the sprawling, partisan audit of Maricopa County votes that Senate Republicans ordered after Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden.

Petersen addressed the matter directly on X, writing, “President Trump is 100% correct.” “Late last week I received and complied with a federal grand jury subpoena for records relating to the Arizona State Senate’s 2020 audit of Maricopa County. The FBI has the records. Any other report is fake news.”

Petersen noted the Senate received the request on Friday and fulfilled it by Saturday, despite rumors of raids or broader county data probes.

The Subpoena

Az Central reported the subpoena targets documents from the partisan recount led by Cyber Ninjas, a firm hired by GOP lawmakers. That review of 2.1 million Maricopa County ballots ultimately upheld Joe Biden’s narrow victory there, matching certified results despite President Donald Trump allies’ initial skepticism.

Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ), who served as Secretary of State during the 2020 cycle, quickly pushed back, writing on social media, “We know Arizona's elections are secure — numerous lawsuits have confirmed that. Arizonans have had enough with the election conspiracies and lies that undermine our democracy and our rights as voters. I protected our democracy as Secretary of State in 2020, and I will never back down when it comes to protecting the integrity of our elections.”

Attorney General Kris Mayes (D-AZ) also weighed in on MSNBC, calling the probe a distraction. “We had multiple audits on our 2020 election, multiple investigations, all of which showed our election was run absolutely solidly,” she said.

“We were on fantastic elections in the state of Arizona, and here they go again. It’s an unbelievable waste of resources, and I think it's a distraction from the Epstein files, it's a distraction from rising costs of gasoline due to the Iran war, and it's a distraction from the tariffs that are costing the American people so much money. It’s outrageous, and they ought to knock it off.”

Recent Linked Records

The federal inquiry also involves 2020 records from Georgia’s Fulton County and touches Arizona files linked to Trump’s 2024 win.

President Trump himself highlighted the probe on social media, calling it a sign that the “voting probe expands” and pointing to claims of ballot irregularities at an Arizona warehouse.

Critics see it as part of ongoing efforts to revisit Trump’s tight 2020 losses, while supporters frame it as a necessary check.

For now, Arizona elections are on the radar, deeming the necessity for election integrity.