Arizona secretary of state’s office subpoenaed in special counsel probe into 2020 election interference

By Zachary Cohen and Sara Dramer

Washington (CNN) — Special counsel Jack Smith issued a subpoena to the Arizona secretary of state’s office in May as part of the ongoing criminal probe related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, CNN has confirmed.

Adrian Fontes’ office has complied with the subpoena, which was received through outside counsel, a spokesperson for the secretary of state said Thursday.

Fontes told CNN’s Erin Burnett Thursday evening that the subpoena sought records related to two lawsuits filed following the 2020 election, one brought by the Trump campaign and another filed by then-Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward, who promoted former President Donald Trump’s baseless election fraud claims.

“It was just another one of the random, various and … frivolous lawsuits that were filed all over the United States of America in the feeble and misguided attempt to overturn an American election,” Fontes said of the case involving Ward.

Fontes also revealed that the May subpoena was one of two received by his office. The office received an initial subpoena in late December, he said.

The May subpoena, first reported earlier this week by the Arizona Republic, adds to what’s known about the special counsel’s probe as investigators have recently zeroed in on the efforts to put forward alternate slates of electors in seven states Donald Trump lost, including Arizona. Trump and his allies also waged legal battles claiming election fraud in the state.

The news comes after a former top Republican official in Arizona, who rejected pressure from Trump and his allies following the former president’s 2020 election defeat, told CNN Wednesday night that he has spoken with the FBI as part of the same ongoing criminal investigation.

Former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers revealed the interview with investigators lasted four hours and took place a few months ago.

“I am hesitant to talk about any subpoenas, et cetera. But I have been interviewed by the FBI,” Bowers told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, when asked whether he had been subpoenaed.

In recent weeks, federal investigators have focused on Trump’s efforts, as well as those of his top lawyers as they organized fake electors to submit votes to Congress on his behalf and as they sought to sway then-Vice President Mike Pence into blocking the election result.

CNN previously reported investigators secured evidence and testimony from fake electors in Nevada, Georgia’s secretary of state and various election offices in battleground states – indicating the breadth of Smith’s work to date.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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CNN’s Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.