¶ Election Conspiracies
¶ Sen. Borrelli Has Appeared At An “Audit Superpanel” At An Extreme QAnon Convention, Discussing Election Fraud, Russia Investigation Conspiracies, And Calling COVID-19 The “Plandemic,” Also Repeatedly Appearing With Event Organizer QAnon John And QAnon Figure Vincent Fusca.
¶ 2021: Sen. Borrelli Was Featured On An Election “Audit Superpanel” At A QAnon Convention, Where He Claimed Disgraced Former Gen. Michael Flynn Was “Framed” By The FBI During The Russia Investigation, Called COVID-19 The “Plandemic,” Called Critical Race Theory A “Distortion,” And Took Multiple Photos With QAnon John.
October 2021: Sen. Borrelli Was A Featured Speaker At A QAnon Convention In Las Vegas That “Included Speakers From The Fringe Of The Conspiracy World As Well As Antisemitic Imagery.” “Four Republican members of Arizona’s state legislature attended a QAnon convention in Las Vegas over the weekend that included speakers from the fringe of the conspiracy world as well as antisemitic imagery. [...] Biasiucci and Rogers spoke alongside Rep. Mark Finchem, who is running for secretary of state, and Sen. Sonny Borrelli on a panel discussing the Arizona Senate’s partisan ‘audit’ of the 2020 election. That self-styled audit was marred by controversy and conducted by conspiracy theorists who had no background in elections or knowledge of Arizona election law. It found no evidence of the fraud that the four GOP legislators and tens of millions of Republican voters nationwide say stole the election from Donald Trump.” [AZ Mirror, 10/28/21]
- QAnon Is The “Conspiracy Theory That Claims Former President Donald Trump Will Expose An International Cabal Of Satanic, Cannibalistic Pedophiles Who Operate A Child Sex Trafficking Ring.” “The event has used images and references to QAnon—a conspiracy theory that claims former President Donald Trump will expose an international cabal of satanic, cannibalistic pedophiles who operate a child sex trafficking ring. QAnon is also a movement that is against mask mandates and vaccines that are administered to protect against COVID-19.” [Newsweek, 09/15/21]
The Event Featured “Some Of QAnon’s Most Idolized Figures,” Including George Papadopoulos, 8kun Owner Jim Watkins, And Originally Scheduled Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, “A Q Ringleader Of Sorts.” “The legislators will be joined in Las Vegas by some of QAnon’s most idolized figures, including George Papadopoulos, 8chan (now 8kun) owner Jim Watkins, and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who has become a Q ringleader of sorts since his inglorious exit from the White House. In a dramatic trailer for the event from earlier this month, Flynn tosses playing cards into the air as QAnon slogans — ‘Where We Go One, We Go All’ — flash across the screen.” [Phoenix New Times, 08/27/21]
- The Event’s Keynote Speaker Was Ron Watkins, Who QAnon Proponents “Alleged To Be The Elusive Figure ‘Q.,’” After Michael Flynn Ultimately Did Not Appear At The Event. “Michael Flynn has pulled out from speaking at a QAnon event in Las Vegas as organizers confirm they have found a new venue. The former national security adviser had been teased as the main keynote speaker at October's ‘For God & Country Patriot Double Down’ event in Sin City. Retired general Flynn was praised by QAnon followers in 2020 when he shared a video in which he and his family recited a well-known slogan used by the group. [...] With Flynn's profile now removed from the website, the top-listed keynote speaker is Ron Watkins, who some have alleged to be the elusive figure ‘Q.’” [Newsweek, 09/15/21]
The Event’s Name Was “A Reference To Qanon’s Bizarre Lore, Which Suggests That The Imagined Evil Cabal Of Elites Running The Country Is Soon To Be Revealed.” “The event’s name, the ‘great awakening weekend,’ is itself a reference to QAnon’s bizarre lore, which suggests that the imagined evil cabal of elites running the country is soon to be revealed and overturned.” [Phoenix New Times, 08/27/21]
Borrelli Appeared On “An Election ‘Audit Superpanel’” At The Event. “Finchem, Borrelli, and Biasiucci will all speak on an election ‘audit superpanel,’ event organizer John Sabal, also known as ‘QAnon John,’ told the Phoenix New Times.” [Business Insider, 08/27/21]
The Video Introducing Borrelli’s Panel Of Arizona Republicans Included Imagery Of Trump With The Phrases “The Stolen Election” And “The Audits - We Have It All”:
At The Event, Borrelli Defended General Michael Flynn—Who “Pleaded Guilty To Lying To FBI Agents About His Contacts With Russian Officials”—Calling Him A “Patriot” And Claiming Flynn Was “Railroaded” And “Framed” By The FBI:
- Borrelli Also Said Flynn Was “Railroaded By The FBI. He Was Framed By The FBI.” [Tweet by Arizona Right Watch, 10/25/21]
- “Disgraced” Gen. Michael Flynn “Pleaded Guilty To Lying To FBI Agents About His Contacts With Russian Officials.” “‘CRT, another distraction, another distortion,’ Borrelli said, referring to critical race theory while throwing a mask in the air. Borrelli also claimed that disgraced Gen. Michael Flynn — who pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russian officials — had been ‘framed.’” [AZ Mirror, 10/28/21]
- November 2020: Then-President Trump Pardoned Michael Flynn, His First National Security Adviser. “President Trump has pardoned his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who spent years enmeshed in an often bizarre legal war with the government that sprang from the Russia investigation.” [NPR, 11/25/20]
In His Remarks, Borrelli Referred To The COVID-19 Pandemic As The “Plandemic” While He “Used A Stack Of Masks As A Prop To Demonstrate The Many ‘Masks’ Of Democrats That Were ‘Coming Off.’” “Other than Biasiucci’s opening remarks recounting his conversation with the lobbyist, the Arizona legislators avoided talking about QAnon directly, but alluded to parts of the wide-ranging conspiracy theory. For instance, Borrelli called the COVID-19 pandemic, which has taken the lives of over 21,000 Arizonans and 984 in Mohave County, where he lives, a ‘plandemic’ and used a stack of masks as a prop to demonstrate the many ‘masks’ of Democrats that were ‘coming off.’” [AZ Mirror, 10/28/21]
Borrelli Also Called Critical Race Theory (CRT) “Another Distraction, Another Distortion” While Throwing A Mask In The Air. “‘CRT, another distraction, another distortion,’ Borrelli said, referring to critical race theory while throwing a mask in the air.” [AZ Mirror, 10/28/21]
Borrelli Took At Least Two Pictures With “QAnon John,” The Host Of The Event Who Has “Been Known To Peddle Antisemitic Beliefs”:
[...]
- John Sabal, Known As “QAnon John,” Has “Been Known To Peddle Antisemitic Beliefs,” According To The Anti-Defamation League. “It is important to note that several aspects of QAnon lore mirror longstanding antisemitic tropes, and multiple QAnon influencers, such as GhostEzra (Robert Smart), IET (Craig Longley), Negative48 (Michael Protzman) and QAnon John (John Sabal), have been known to peddle antisemitic beliefs. [...] In October 2021, several elected officials and candidates spoke at the Patriot Double Down conference hosted in Las Vegas, Nevada by antisemitic QAnon influencer John Sabal (QAnon John).” [Anti-Defamation League, accessed 10/13/23]
Borrelli Appeared On Stage With Vincent Fusca, Who “Attracted Speculation Within The So-Called QAnon Movement That He May Actually Be The Late John F. Kennedy Jr.”
- Vincent Fusca “Attracted Speculation Within The So-Called QAnon Movement That He May Actually Be The Late John F. Kennedy Jr.” “Step aside, Dr. Oz: A different kind of national celebrity — albeit one best known inside a national movement on the fringe of politics — is running for Senate in Pennsylvania. Republican Vince Fusca, who has attracted speculation within the so-called QAnon movement that he may actually be the late John F. Kennedy Jr., began gathering petitions for his Senate bid in Monroeville Saturday.” [90.5 WESA, 03/07/22]
- Fusca Called Borrelli The “Man Who Launched The Movement To Audit The Vote Here In The United States Of America,” Adding, “He’s Doing His Job. Shame On Us If We Don’t Do Ours.” “I confess that I came to see, to meet this, grandiose of a man who launched the movement to audit the vote here in the United States of America. [...] He’s doing his job. Shame on us if we don’t do ours.” [Tweet by Arizona Right Watch, 10/25/21]
The Opening Video For The Second Day Of The Event Included A Variety Of Conspiratorial Imagery, Including Graphics That “Superimposed The Star Of David Among Images Of The 9/11 Attacks,” That Said Hitler “Faked His Death,” And Claimed “Babies Blood Is Being Harvested” By “Hollywood Elites.” “(One video found by the Arizona Mirror that was created by the company used by Patriot Double Down stated that the Titanic disaster was a hoax, Hitler faked his death and babies blood is being harvested as part of a popular QAnon conspiracy about Hollywood elites. Another video also superimposed the Star of David among images of the 9/11 attacks.)” [AZ Mirror, 10/28/21]
The Event Promoted Merchandise Playing Cards, Including Cards Featuring Trump And Election Conspiracists Michael Flynn And Sidney Powell Alongside Biblical Quotes:
[...]
[...]
[...]
- “Disgraced” Gen. Michael Flynn “Pleaded Guilty To Lying To FBI Agents About His Contacts With Russian Officials.” “‘CRT, another distraction, another distortion,’ Borrelli said, referring to critical race theory while throwing a mask in the air. Borrelli also claimed that disgraced Gen. Michael Flynn — who pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents about his contacts with Russian officials — had been ‘framed.’” [AZ Mirror, 10/28/21]
- Former Trump Campaign Lawyer Sidney Powell Was Hit With Two Separate Billion Dollar Lawsuits Over Her Claims That Election Technology Companies Were Engaged In Election Fraud. “The groups also have ties with former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell. Like Lindell, she faces a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit for her lies about voting machine manufacturer Dominion’s alleged role in an outlandish nationwide election fraud conspiracy. She was hit with a second billion-dollar suit from election technology company Smartmatic in February.” [The Daily Beast, 03/12/21]
The Event’s Speakers Included “Right-Wing Firebrand David Clarke,” Who Compared The January 6 Insurrection To A “Frat Party,” Saying It Needed To Be More “Serious, Well Planned, & Disciplined”:
- David Clarke Is A “Right-Wing Firebrand” Who “Urged Jan. 6 Rioters Not To Cooperate With Law Enforcement” And Invited The “Far-Right Proud Boys Gang To Wisconsin.” “Over his controversial years in politics, David Clarke has worn several hats: Milwaukee sheriff, right-wing firebrand, prominent Donald Trump surrogate, and cowboy. [...] During the 2016 election, for instance, Clarke called for Trump supporters to take up ‘pitchforks and torches’ against Democrats and the media. In 2020, Clarke invited the far-right Proud Boys gang to Wisconsin, backed the ex-president’s false claims of election fraud, and urged Jan. 6 rioters not to cooperate with law enforcement.” [The Daily Beast, 03/14/23]
¶ Sen. Borrelli Has Multiple Ties To Election Conspiracist Mike Lindell, Who Called Borrelli A “Hero”—Borrelli Attended Lindell’s 2021 “Cyber Symposium” And Has Repeatedly Appeared On Lindell’s Streaming Network Alongside Trump Allies LIke Steve Bannon And Roger Stone.
¶ 2021: Sen. Borrelli Was Featured In A “Cyber Symposium” Held By MyPillow CEO And Election Conspiracist Mike Lindell, Who Called Borelli A “Hero”—Borrelli Speculated About Election Manipulation And Said “Maricopa County’s Got More Spin Than A Beatles LP, Let Me Tell You That.”
August 2021: Sen. Borrelli Was Featured In A “Cyber Symposium,” A 72-Hour Live Broadcast Held By MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, Who Claimed He Would Provide “Proof” That China Hacked The 2020 Election. “Three Arizona Republican lawmakers spread spurious allegations and long-debunked claims about the 2020 election on Thursday at a ‘Cyber Symposium’ organized by MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. [...] Rogers took the stage alongside Sen. Sonny Borrelli and Rep. Mark Finchem at Lindell’s much-ballyhooed ‘Cyber Symposium’ event in South Dakota. The event has been billed as a 72-hour live broadcast in which Lindell and his experts would present ‘proof’ in the form of data he had obtained that China had hacked the United State’s presidential election in favor of President Joe Biden.” [AZ Mirror, 08/12/21]
Lindell Called Sen. Borrelli A “Hero.” “Sonny, what a hero he is, huh?” [Scottsdale Studios Ultra MAGA via Rumble, 08/12/21 (00:03)]
At The Symposium, Borrelli Speculated That Election Computers Could Have Been Affected By “One Of Them Little Thumb Drives, Or Whatever They Are,” And Results Could Have Been Manipulated “In Cyberspace.” “How do we know that they didn’t take one of them little thumb drives, or whatever they are, and stick it into — SP cards or whatever the heck these things are — and stick it into one of their laptops and change something in cyberspace, because that’s been alleged.” [Scottsdale Studios Ultra MAGA via Rumble, 08/12/21 (09:54)]
At The Symposium, Borrelli Said, “Maricopa County’s Got More Spin Than A Beatles LP, Let Me Tell You That.” [Scottsdale Studios Ultra MAGA via Rumble, 08/12/21 (11:55)]
A Cybersecurity Expert Hired By Lindell Said The Data Could Not Prove China Hacked The 2020 Election, Saying “We Were Handed A Turd.” “However, one of the cybersecurity experts that Lindell hired told the Washington Times that Lindell failed to provide the data he had long promised to deliver. The expert, Josh Merritt, said the data that Lindell did provide cannot prove China hacked the election. ‘We were handed a turd,’ he said.” [AZ Mirror, 08/12/21]
Another Cybersecurity Expert, “Among The Most Prominent Critics Of Voting Machine Security,” Called The Symposium “A Big Fat Nothing And A Distraction,” Adding Lindell And His Guests “Fed Us With Garbage Just To Control The Narrative.” “‘This is a big fat nothing and a distraction,’ Harri Hursti, a longtime election security expert who attended the conference to fact check any technical evidence, told me. Hursti is among the most prominent critics of voting machine security but has slammed election-fraud claims by Donald Trump and his supporters for lacking any hard evidence. ‘They have fed us with garbage just to control the narrative,’ he told me by text message.” [The Washington Post, 08/11/21]
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell—Who Met With Trump To Discuss Election Conspiracy Theories And Martial Law After The 2020 Election—Has “Transformed His Company Into An Engine Of The Election Denial Movement.” “Many American entrepreneurs have mixed politics and business. No one has fused the two quite like the chief executive of MyPillow. [...] American entrepreneurs have long mixed their business and political interests. But no one in recent memory has fused the two quite as completely as Mr. Lindell. In less than two years, the infomercial pitchman has transformed his company into an engine of the election denial movement, using his personal wealth and advertising dollars to propel the falsehood that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald J. Trump.” [The New York Times, 10/27/22]
- By October 2022, Lindell Was “At The Heart Of The Right-Wing Media Landscape,” The Biggest Single Advertiser On Fox News’ Prime-Time Lineup And A “Critical Financial Supporter Of An Expanding Universe Of Right-Wing Podcasters And Influencers.” “But a New York Times analysis of advertising data, along with interviews with media executives and personalities, reveal that Mr. Lindell’s influence goes beyond funding activism: He is now at the heart of the right-wing media landscape. Already the largest single advertiser on Fox News’s right-wing opinion prime-time lineup, according to data from the media analytics firm iSpot.tv, MyPillow has since early last year become a critical financial supporter of an expanding universe of right-wing podcasters and influencers, many of whom keep election misinformation coursing through the daily discourse.” [The New York Times, 10/27/22]
- January 2021: Lindell Met With Trump At The White House To Discuss Election Conspiracy Theories And The Possibility Of Invoking Martial Law. “On Friday, Mike Lindell, the CEO of bedding company MyPillow (you’ve probably seen the commercials) and an avid Donald Trump backer, went to the White House to talk to the president about some conspiracy theories. He reportedly presented Trump and his team with six pages of notes with unfounded claims that China and other countries stole the election from him along with a litany of other strange theories. Washington Post photographer Jabin Botsford captured some images of Lindell and his papers, which appeared to suggest the president was considering invoking the Insurrection Act, a law that lets the president deploy military and National Guard troops to the streets and the use of ‘martial law if necessary.’” [Vox, 01/16/21]
¶ Sen. Borrelli Has Repeatedly Appeared On Lindell TV, A Right-Wing Streaming Network Run By Election Conspiracist Mike Lindell, Discussing Alleged Voter Fraud With Prominent Trump Allies Steve Bannon And Roger Stone.
August 2023: Borrelli Reposted His Appearance On Lindell TV—Run By Right-Wing Election Conspiracist Mike Lindell—Where He Claimed “Elected Officials Are Serving A 3rd Party Election Vendor Rather Than The People Of Arizona”:
- Lindell—Who Met With Trump To Discuss Election Conspiracy Theories And Martial Law After The 2020 Election—Has “Transformed His Company Into An Engine Of The Election Denial Movement” And Is Now “At The Heart Of The Right-Wing Media Landscape.” “Many American entrepreneurs have mixed politics and business. No one has fused the two quite like the chief executive of MyPillow. [...] American entrepreneurs have long mixed their business and political interests. But no one in recent memory has fused the two quite as completely as Mr. Lindell. In less than two years, the infomercial pitchman has transformed his company into an engine of the election denial movement, using his personal wealth and advertising dollars to propel the falsehood that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald J. Trump.” [The New York Times, 10/27/22]
- By October 2022, Lindell Was “At The Heart Of The Right-Wing Media Landscape,” The Biggest Single Advertiser On Fox News’ Prime-Time Lineup And A “Critical Financial Supporter Of An Expanding Universe Of Right-Wing Podcasters And Influencers.” “But a New York Times analysis of advertising data, along with interviews with media executives and personalities, reveal that Mr. Lindell’s influence goes beyond funding activism: He is now at the heart of the right-wing media landscape. Already the largest single advertiser on Fox News’s right-wing opinion prime-time lineup, according to data from the media analytics firm iSpot.tv, MyPillow has since early last year become a critical financial supporter of an expanding universe of right-wing podcasters and influencers, many of whom keep election misinformation coursing through the daily discourse.” [The New York Times, 10/27/22]
After An Audit Ordered By The Republican-Controlled Senate Confirmed Biden’s Victory, Borrelli Said The Audit Confirmed A “Cover Up” On Former Trump Adviser Steve Bannon’s Podcast. “The results of the audit, conducted by the firm Cyber Ninjas at the behest of the GOP-controlled state Senate, were released on Friday and showed that Biden beat former President Donald Trump by an even larger margin than in the official vote count. Regardless, Borrelli insisted that the Maricopa County audit showed there was an Arizona election ‘cover up’ during a Monday interview on former Trump adviser Steve Bannon's War Room: Pandemic podcast.” [Newsweek, 09/27/21]
Borrelli Appeared On A Lindell TV Program With Roger Stone, A “Longtime Trump Adviser” Who Was Seen With The Far-Right Oath Keepers On The Morning Of The January 6th Insurrection And Said “F--- The Voting, Let’s Get Right To The Violence” The Day Before The 2020 Election:
- Roger Stone Is “A Republican Strategist [...] Most Often Described As A Self-Confessed Political Dirty Trickster And Longtime Trump Adviser.” “So who is Roger Stone? A Republican strategist, consultant and author, he is most often described as a self-confessed political dirty trickster and longtime Trump adviser, given to flamboyance in tailoring and swinging as well as campaign stunts.” [The Guardian, 10/13/22]
- On The Morning Of January 6, Roger Stone Was Seen With Members Of “Far-Right Militia Group” The Oath Keepers, Which The Southern Poverty Law Center Has Labeled The ‘Largest Radical Antigovernment Group In The U.S. Today.’” “New video footage released by ABC News Friday shows Trump ally and longtime advisor Roger Stone with members of the far-right militia group the Oath Keepers on the morning of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection. In the video, Stone snaps photos and mingles with supporters outside of the Willard InterContinental hotel, located blocks from the White House. [...] The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has labeled the Oath Keepers the ‘largest radical antigovernment group in the U.S. today.’” [The Hill, 02/05/21]
- On The Day Before The Election, Stone Said, “F--- The Voting, Let’s Get Right To The Violence. Shoot To Kill, See An Antifa, Shoot To Kill,” Before Immediately Walking Back His Comments. “In another clip selected by the committee, Stone talked of violence after attending a rally for a Trump ally, Rep. Douglas A. Collins (R-Ga.), the day before the election. ‘F--- the voting, let’s get right to the violence. Shoot to kill, see an antifa, shoot to kill. F--- ’em. Done with this bulls---.’ Stone immediately followed this with: ‘I am of course only kidding. We renounce violence completely. We totally renounce violence. The left is the only ones who engage in violence.’” [The Washington Post, 09/26/22]
- In The Weeks Ahead Of The Insurrection, Roger Stone “Predicted Violent Clashes With Left-Wing Activists” And That Trump Would “Use Armed Guards And Loyal Judges To Stay In Power.” “The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob intends to show at its hearing this week video footage of Roger Stone recorded by Danish filmmakers during the weeks before the violence, according to people familiar with the matter. The committee is considering including video clips in which Stone, a longtime friend and onetime adviser of President Donald Trump, predicted violent clashes with left-wing activists and forecast months before the 2020 vote that the president would use armed guards and loyal judges to stay in power, according to one of the people familiar with the hearing planning.” [The Washington Post, 09/26/22]
- Stone Said, “It’s Going To Be Really Nasty,” And “If The Electors Show Up At The Electoral College, Armed Guards Will Throw Them Out.” “In one clip, previously reported by The Post, Stone told a staffer four months before the election that Trump should use the powers of his office to reject official results and secure victory in the courts with help from federal judges who owed him fealty. ‘It’s going to be really nasty,’ Stone said at home on July 9, 2020, predicting that Democrats would try to steal the election. ‘If the electors show up at the electoral college, armed guards will throw them out,’ he said, apparently referring to ceremonial meetings of electors in state capitals.” [The Washington Post, 09/26/22]
Discussing Alleged Voter Fraud On The Lindell Report, Sen. Borrelli Said, “They Figured They Would Just Bully Us Enough To Just Shut Up And Sit Down And Just Go Along With The Program And Not Keep Looking. And You Know What, It’s Not Over.”
On Brannon House Live, Borrelli Said “It’s Obvious That The Lamestream Media Is Not Going To Tell The Truth. Of Course It’s Always Spin, And They Want To Know Facts”:
¶ In 2023, Sen. Borrelli Cited Authority He Does Not Have When Trying To Order All Arizona Counties To Stop Using Electronic Voting Equipment, Tried To Push Potentially Unlawful And Unreliable Ballot Hand-Counts, Pushed Unlawful Legislation To Purge Voter Rolls Every Decade, And Voted For A “Bonkers” Far-Right Plan To Break Up Maricopa County.
¶ 2023: Sen. Borrelli, “Citing Authority He Does Not Actually Have,” Ordered All Arizona Counties To Cease Using Electronic Voting Equipment, Falsely Claiming They Were Made From Parts From Foreign Adversaries—Borrelli’s Senate Republican Colleagues Did Not Agree With HIs Demands.
May 2023: Sen. Borrelli, “Citing Authority He Does Not Actually Have,” Ordered All Arizona Counties To Cease Using Electronic Voting Equipment In Future Elections, Claiming They “Are Made With Components From Countries Considered Adversaries To The U.S.” “Citing authority he does not actually have, a state senator has ordered all Arizona counties to conduct future federal elections without the use of electronic voting equipment. In identical letters to all 15 counties, Republican Sen. Sonny Borrelli claims that the continued use of voting systems — ‘which are made with components from countries considered adversaries to the U.S.,’ he wrote — has left Arizona, and the rest of the nation, ‘in an extremely vulnerable and dangerous position.’” [KJZZ, 05/22/23]
Borrelli’s Senate Republican Colleagues Did Not Agree With His Demand, With A Spokesperson Saying “The Senate Leadership Team Does Not Agree With The Letter” Borrelli Sent To Counties. “And Borrelli's GOP colleagues at the Senate don't agree with his demand. ‘This is something Sen. Borrelli is working on his own,’ said Kim Quintero, communications director for the Senate Republicans. The rest of the Senate leadership team does not agree with the letter, either, Quintero said. She acknowledged that Senate President Warren Petersen voted for the resolution, as did every other Republican. But, Quintero added, Borrelli is interpreting it differently than his colleagues.” [Arizona Central, 05/22/23]
Previously, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs Refuted Republicans’ Claims About Foreign Electronic Voting Equipment When She Vetoed Senate Bill 1074, Which Would Have Barred Such Equipment. “Republicans sought to address this concern with Senate Bill 1074, which would have barred the use of any electronic voting equipment that isn’t fully manufactured in the United States. However, Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed the bill, stating that such election equipment does not exist.” [KJZZ, 05/22/23]
Hobbs’ Spokesperson Said Borrelli’s Letter Was “‘Completely False’ And ‘Grossly Irresponsible.’” “Christian Slater, spokesman for Hobbs, tweeted that Borrelli’s letter was ‘completely false’ and ‘grossly irresponsible.’” [KJZZ, 05/22/23]
Borrelli’s Orders Cited A “Nonbinding Concurrent Resolution Adopted On Party Line Votes By Republican Lawmakers” That Claimed To Prohibit The Use Of Voting Equipment That Wasn’t “Designed, Manufactured, Integrated And Assembled In The U.S.” In Arizona Elections. “With no law to which to stake his claim, Borrelli’s Monday letters to Arizona counties cite SCR 1037 — a nonbinding concurrent resolution adopted on party line votes by Republican lawmakers in March. It declares that the Arizona Legislature prohibits the use of any electronic voting equipment that isn’t designed, manufactured, integrated and assembled in the U.S.” [KJZZ, 05/22/23]
- Arizona’s Democratic Secretary Of State Adrian Fontes Said Counties Were Not Obligated To Follow Borrelli’s Orders, Noting That The Resolution “Is Nonbinding And Does Not Have The Force Of Law.” “Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes says Arizona counties are under no obligation to follow Borrelli’s orders. SCR 1037 ‘expresses a desire to restrict the use of certain electronic voting machines,’ Fontes said in a statement. But the resolution ‘is nonbinding and does not have the force of law,’ he added.” [KJZZ, 05/22/23]
¶ 2023: Borelli Had A “Monthslong Effort” To Convince Arizona Counties To Adopt “Unreliable And Inefficient” Hand-Counted Ballots, Which Trump Supporters Have Advocated As A Solution To Election Conspiracy Theories And Which Opponents Have Argued Runs Afoul Of Arizona Law.
August 2023: Sen. Borrelli Advocated “Unreliable And Inefficient” Hand-Counted Ballots To The Pinal County Board Of Supervisors As Part Of His “Monthslong Effort To Convince Arizona Counties To Abandon Reliable And Efficient Machines That Count Votes.” “Sens. Sonny Borrelli and Wendy Rogers were in Florence on Wednesday, preaching the gospel of hand counts to the GOP-led board of supervisors in Pinal County. It was their latest stop in a monthslong effort to convince Arizona counties to abandon reliable and efficient machines that count votes, in favor of hand counts that experts agree are unreliable and inefficient — as well as costly.” [KJZZ, 08/03/23]
- Borrelli And Other Advocates Of Hand-Counted Elections And Paper Ballots Were Generally Trump Supporters Who Claim That “Electronic Voting And Tabulating Machines Can Be Programmed To Change Votes From One Candidate To Another.” “Borrelli is one of many who has spoken out on what they describe as the need for paper ballots and hand counts in elections. Many of them are supporters of former President Donald Trump. The claim is that electronic voting and tabulating machines can be programmed to change votes from one candidate to another.” [Parker Pioneer, 10/02/23]
In Florence, Arizona, Borrelli “Tried To Convince The Board [Of Supervisors] That Hundreds Of Volunteers Were Standing By To Assist The Effort.” “In Florence, Borrelli tried to convince the board that hundreds of volunteers were standing by to assist the effort.” [KJZZ, 08/03/23]
In La Paz County, Arizona, Borrelli Urged The Board Of Supervisors To Use Hand Counts And Paper Ballots, Telling The Board, “We Need To Make Sure You Supervisors Have The Oversight You Are Entitled To.” “State Sen. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, stopped by the La Paz County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Sept. 18. Speaking in Call to the Public, Borrelli, the Senate Majority Leader, urged the Supervisors to use only paper ballots and hand counts in elections. ‘We need to make sure you Supervisors have the oversight you are entitled to,’ he said.” [Parker Pioneer, 10/02/23]
- Arguing Before The La Paz County Board, Borrelli Claimed Voters Across Arizona Were Being Disenfranchised By “Shenanigans” In Maricopa County. “Borrelli said state voters are being disenfranchised by the ‘shenanigans’ in Maricopa County.” [Parker Pioneer, 10/02/23]
In Mohave County, Arizona, The Board Of Supervisors Rejected A Plan To Hand Count 2024 Election Ballots, With The Board Chair Saying Hand Counting Was Too Costly. “Mohave County supervisors on Tuesday struck down a plan to count all 2024 ballots by hand — rejecting a proposal that the county’s election director had drafted at the board’s orders. Mohave County Board Chair Travis Lingenfelter said hand counting was simply too costly, given the manpower and hours that would be needed to complete a hand count in a timely fashion.” [KJZZ, 08/03/23]
Borrelli Disputed Arguments That Hand-Counted Ballots Violate Arizona Law, Saying “Show Me In Statute Where A Hand Count Is Authorized, [...] And I Say, ‘Show Me Where It’s Not.’” “And he also disputed claims that hand counts violate state law. ‘I’ve even had arguments with some of the county attorneys who say, ‘Well show me in statute where a hand count is authorized,’ Borrelli said. ‘And I say, ‘Show me where it’s not.’” [KJZZ, 08/03/23]
¶ 2023: Sen. Borrelli Claimed He Found Significant Numbers Of Dead Voters—A Claim That Arizona’s Republican Attorney General Disproved—While Pushing Legislation To Purge Voter Rolls Every 10 Years, In “Blatant Violation Of Federal Law.”
Sen. Borrelli Has Claimed He Investigated Claims Of Dead Voters As He Pushed SB 1566, A Bill To Require Voters To Reregister Every 10 Years. “Then there is SB 1566, requiring you to reregister every 10 years if you want to continue exercising your constitutional right to vote. In pushing the bill, Sen. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, noted that he decided to look into the issue after the Attorney General’s Office spent ‘thousands of hours’ investigating claims of dead voters.” [Arizona Republic, 02/20/23]
Critics Of SB 1566 Called It A “Blatant Violation Of Federal Law,” Including The National Voter Registration Act, Which Limits The Reason Someone May Be Removed From Voter Rolls. “Every Arizona voter would be purged from the rolls once a decade and have to re-register under a proposal Republicans in the state Senate advanced this week. The move not only flies in the face of democracy, but it is a blatant violation of federal law, critics told GOP state senators, some of whom agreed but still ignored their pleadings. [...] Jen Marson, executive director of the Arizona Association of Counties, told the Senate Elections Committee on Monday that her organization opposes the bill simply because it violates the National Voter Registration Act, which limits the reasons for which a person can be removed from a state’s voter rolls to a voter’s death, if they move outside of the jurisdiction or if the voter requests to be removed.” [AZ Mirror, 02/15/23]
Borrelli Claimed That His Audit Team “Looked At 30 Ballot Envelopes. Within 45 Minutes They Found 17 People That Somehow Voted After They Died.” “‘So I had my audit team go through voter registrations on dead voters and bounced that against the people that voted,’ he recently told the Senate Elections Committee. ‘They looked at 30 ballot envelopes. Within 45 minutes they found 17 people that somehow voted after they died.’” [Arizona Republic, 02/20/23]
Borrelli Did Not Note That After The Office Of Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich Spent “Hundreds Of Hours” Investigating Claims Of Dead Voters In Maricopa County’s 2020 Election Results, It Found 281 Of 282 Allegedly Dead Voters Were Alive When They Cast Ballots, And A “Handful” Of Other Instances Were “Isolated.” “Fifty-six percent? Clearly, our elections are being determined by those whose forwarding address lies somewhere near the Pearly Gates … or perhaps a good ways south of there. Curiously, Borrelli didn’t mention the findings of the Attorney General’s Office after all those hours of investigation. The ninjas, as part of their five-month audit of Maricopa County’s election, reported that 282 dead voters cast ballots in the November 2020 election. The AG’s Office then said it spent hundreds of hours investigating those claims. The conclusion: 281 of those 282 voters were alive and kicking when they cast ballots. ‘Our agents investigated all individuals that Cyber Ninas reported as dead, and many were very surprised to learn they were allegedly deceased,’ Attorney General Brnovich wrote in an August letter to then-Senate President Karen Fann. AG investigators also checked out four other reports of up to 6,500 supposedly dead people who either cast ballots or were on the voter registration rolls. They came up with ‘only a handful of potential cases,’ all of them isolated instances.” [Arizona Republic, 02/20/23]
¶ 2023: Sen. Borrelli Voted For Legislation To Break Up Maricopa County Into Four New Counties, A “Bonkers Plan” Pushed By A “Far-Right” Arizona Freedom Caucus State Senator Who Was Convinced Maricopa County Supervisors Rigged Elections.
March 2023: The Arizona Senate Rejected A “Bonkers Plan” To Break Up Maricopa County Into Four Separate Counties—The Legislation Was Advanced By Sen. Jake Hoffman, The Head Of The “Far-Right” Arizona Freedom Caucus Who Was Convinced That Maricopa County Supervisors Rigged Elections. “Finally, sanity has reared its rarely seen head at the Arizona Capitol as a bipartisan group of senators smacked down a bonkers plan to carve up Maricopa County. Sen. Jake Hoffman, like the rest of the far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus he chairs, is convinced that those demon Maricopa County supervisors – four of the five of them being Republicans – have put the fix in on recent elections. His answer: split Maricopa County into four counties. Three to be run by Republicans and one by Democrats. [...] This was his second attempt to break up Maricopa County, the nation’s fourth-largest county and home to 65% of the state’s residents.” [Arizona Republic, 03/08/23]
Borrelli Voted For The Bill To Break Maricopa County Into Four Counties. “Who voted for SB 1137: Here is a list of Republican senators who supported splitting Maricopa County into four new counties: Sonny Borrelli of Lake Havasu City, David Farnsworth of Mesa, David Gowan of Sierra Vista, Jake Hoffman of Queen Creek, Anthony Kern of Glendale, Sine Kerr of Buckeye, J.D. Mesnard of Chandler, Wendy Rogers of Flagstaff, Janae Shamp of Surprise, T.J. Shope of Coolidge, Justine Wadsack of Tucson and Warren Petersen of Gilbert.” [Arizona Republic, 03/08/23]
¶ In 2022, Sen. Borrelli Said 2020 Election Conspiracies Were “Not A Theory,” Introduced A Bill To Require An “Exhaustive” Audit Of Every Election, Enlisted An Extreme “Anti Woke” Group To Void Gov. Katie Hobbs’ Election, Urged “Vigilantes” To Stalk Ballot Drop Boxes, And Only Produced One Allegedly Deceased Voter After Claiming Massive Fraud.
¶ 2022: At A Trump Rally, Sen. Borrelli Said Of 2020 Election Conspiracy Theories, “It’s Not A Theory,” While Blaming “Obstructionists” In Arizona State And Maricopa County Offices And Claiming Of A “Psychological Operation” To “Blackout Information.”
January 2022: In His Second Trip To Arizona After Leaving Arizona, Former President Donald Trump “Continued His Baseless Claims Of Widespread Election Fraud In 2020,” Among Other Grievances. “In a characteristically combative speech to more than 15,000 die-hard supporters in Florence, former President Donald Trump resumed his attacks on President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the news media to resounding support. The visit, Trump's first rally of 2022 and his second trip to Arizona since leaving office, gave the former president a chance to renew his grievances and cast his four years in office as a period of unprecedented prosperity and security. Early in his remarks, Trump cast Biden's administration as an unfolding disaster and continued his baseless claims of widespread election fraud in 2020.” [The Arizona Republic, 01/15/22]
Speaking At The Rally, Borrelli Disputed That 2020 Election Fraud Was A “Conspiracy Theory,” Saying “It’s Not A Theory” While Blaming “Obstructionists” In The Arizona Secretary Of State’s Office And In Maricopa County Offices. “State Sen. Sonny Borrelli pushed back on the fact that the belief in widespread election fraud that stole the presidency from Trump in 2020 was a ’conspiracy theory.’ He said there was indeed a conspiracy, but he claims ‘it's not a theory.’ The problem was ‘obstructionists’ who oversee elections at the Arizona Secretary of State's Office and in Maricopa County, Borrelli said.” [The Arizona Republic, 01/15/22]
- Sen. Borrelli Addressed The Crowd At The Rally. “Others who addressed the crowd before Trump included U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz.; state Sens. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, and Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff; former state Rep. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale; Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell.” [The Arizona Republic, 01/15/22]
Borrelli Claimed There Was A “Psychological Operation” In The Country Done By “An Unknown Entity Utilizing ‘Black Op Operations’ To ‘Blackout Information.’” “During his pre-rally speech, Arizona State Senator Sonny Borrelli said that he believes a ‘psychological operation’ is underway in the country. ‘I was in the Marines for 20 years,’ he told the crowd, before claiming there was ‘a psy operation, psychological operations’ which included an unknown entity utilizing ‘black op operations’ to ‘blackout information.’” [The Daily Beast, 01/16/22]
¶ 2022: The Arizona Senate Rejected Sen. Borrelli’s Bill To Require An “Exhaustive” Audit For Every Election, Which Two Republican Senators Voted Against Due To Opposition To Republicans’ 2020 Election Review, Which The Two Senators Called “Flawed And Incompetent.”
March 2022: The Arizona Senate Rejected A “Plan To Require The State Auditor General To Conduct An Exhaustive Review Following Every Election.” “The Arizona Senate on Wednesday voted down a plan to require the state auditor general to conduct an exhaustive review following every election. It was one of four election bills that failed on Wednesday because they had insufficient support from Republicans, and Democrats were united in opposition.” [KJZZ, 03/10/22]
The Election Audit Bill Would Have Appropriated Nearly $4 Million A Year To “Conduct An Audit Of Nearly Every Aspect Of The Election In Maricopa And Pima Counties As Well As Two Randomly Selected Smaller Counties.” “The audit bill would have appropriated nearly $4 million a year for a staff of 29.25 full-time equivalent positions to conduct an audit of nearly every aspect of the election in Maricopa and Pima counties as well as two randomly selected smaller counties.” [KJZZ, 03/10/22]
The Bill Would Have “Essentially Made The Senate Republicans' 2020 Election Review A Permanent Fixture Following Elections.” “The bill would have essentially made the Senate Republicans' 2020 election review a permanent fixture following elections, but would have put it in the hands of a respected government agency.” [KJZZ, 03/10/22]
Borrelli, Who Was The Primary Sponsor Of The Audit Bill, Claimed With “Anger” That “This Sets Up A Process To Make Sure That The Laws Are Being Followed,” Adding “Our Citizens Demand It.” “‘This sets up a process to make sure that the laws are being followed,’ Sen. Sonny Borrelli, a Republican from Lake Havasu City, said with anger as it became clear the bill would fail. ‘Our citizens demand it. They're entitled to it. The elections belong to them, not to us.’” [KJZZ, 03/10/22]
- Sen. Borrelli Was The Primary Sponsor Of The Bill, SB 1629. [Legiscan, accessed 10/13/23]
Borrelli Cited A Variety Of Partisan “Grievances With President Joe Biden, Including Gas Prices, U.S. Servicemembers Killed During The Pullout From Afghanistan, And Immigration.” “Borrelli cited a number of GOP grievances with President Joe Biden, including gas prices, U.S. servicemembers killed during the pullout from Afghanistan, and immigration, saying ‘elections have consequences.’” [KJZZ, 03/10/22]
Two Republican Senators Who Voted Against The Audit Bill Were “Publicly Critical Of Their Party's Election Review” Following The 2020 Election, “Which They Said Was Flawed And Incompetent.” “The measure failed when all 14 Democrats and two Republicans voted against it, Sens. Paul Boyer of Glendale and Michelle Ugenti-Rita of Scottsdale. Both have been publicly critical of their party's election review, which they said was flawed and incompetent.” [KJZZ, 03/10/22]
- One Of The Senators “Said The Bill Would Saddle The Auditor General With An Expensive, Unnecessary Task And Could Potentially Detract From Its Existing Duties Of Auditing Government Agencies.” “Boyer said the bill would saddle the auditor general with an expensive, unnecessary task and could potentially detract from its existing duties of auditing government agencies.” [KJZZ, 03/10/22]
¶ 2022: A Mohave County Judge Dismissed Sen. Borrelli’s Lawsuit To Void Gov. Katie Hobbs’ Victory By Falsely Alleging That Maricopa County’s Election System Used Faulty Artificial Intelligence—Borrelli Was Represented In The Lawsuit By The CEO Of The Gavel Project, An “Anti Woke” Legal Group Which Calls Diversity Efforts “Marxist Nonsense.”
December 2022: Sen. Sonny Borrelli’s Lawsuit Challenging Gov. Katie Hobbs’ Election Was Dismissed By A Mohave County Judge—However, The Judge Allowed A Part Of The Lawsuit Related To Ballot Signature Verification In Maricopa County To Proceed As A Civil Case. “An election lawsuit brought by Lake Havasu Republican Sonny Borrelli that challenged the election of Katie Hobbs as Arizona governor was dismissed late Friday afternoon. But the Mohave County judge hearing the case is allowing the portion of the suit pertaining to ballot signature verification in Maricopa County to continue as a civil case, with a much more relaxed timeline than election challenges, which are expedited.” [Tucson Sentinel, 12/16/22]
- Borrelli Sought To Void Hobbs’ Victory By Arguing That “Heavily Republican” Mohave County’s Votes Were Diluted Due To “Illegal Votes Being Tallied In Maricopa County.” “The basis for Borrelli’s bid to void Hobbs’ victory is his contention that his vote and those of other residents of heavily Republican Mohave County, which does not use signature-verification software, were diluted because of illegal votes being tallied in Maricopa County.” [Arizona Capitol Times, 12/17/22]
Borrelli’s Lawyer, Ryan Heath, Argued That Maricopa County Election Workers Accepted Bad Ballot Signatures Due To The Use Of Third-Party Artificial Intelligence Software. “In the suit, Phoenix lawyer Ryan Heath, representing Borrelli and Mohave County voters, wrote that the use of third party artificial intelligence software to make initial scans and give a verification ranking to voter signatures in Maricopa County led untrained workers to accept bad signatures. He argues that the number of ballots with unmatching signatures accepted in Maricopa County because of the AI disenfranchised Mohave County voters by ‘diluting’ the impact of their votes.” [Tucson Sentinel, 12/16/22]
Maricopa County’s Recorder Refuted Heath’s Claim, Stating That “Maricopa County Has Never Used Artificial Intelligence To Verify Signatures On Early Ballot Envelopes.” “Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer refuted this in a statement to the Arizona Republic. ‘Maricopa County has never used artificial intelligence to verify signatures on early ballot envelopes. All signatures are verified by humans — both at the initial review level and at the manager level,’ Richer said in the statement.” [Tucson Sentinel, 12/16/22]
Heath Alleged That The Number Of Wrongly Accepted Signatures “Swayed The Results Of The Governor’s Race,” Although Gov. Katie Hobbs Won By Over 17,000 Votes. “Heath wrote that the impact of the allegedly wrongly accepted signatures was so large that it swayed the results of the governor's race. Republican Kari Lake lost that race to Democrat Hobbs by more than 17,000 votes.” [Tucson Sentinel, 12/16/22]
Heath Is President And CEO Of The Gavel Project, Which Calls Itself An “Anti Woke Nonprofit Legal Organization.” “Heath is the president and CEO of The Gavel Project , which describes itself as an ‘anti woke nonprofit legal organization.’” [Tucson Sentinel, 12/16/22]
The Gavel Project Claims It Fights “The Abuses Of Woke Ideology (This Includes Fighting COVID-19 Mandate Abuses And Radical Ideals Such As DEI, CRT, Gender Affirmative Care For Children And Similar Marxist Nonsense.” “The Gavel Project is peacefully fighting for civil liberties on behalf of victims suffering from the abuses of woke ideology (this includes fighting COVID-19 mandate abuses and radical ideals such as DEI, CRT, gender affirmative care for children and similar Marxist nonsense masquerading under the guise of ‘equity and inclusion’).” [The Gavel Project, accessed 10/10/23]
¶ 2022: Sen. Borrelli Urged “Vigilantes” At An “Election Security Forum” To Watch Ballot Drop Boxes, Saying “We Need To Be Force Multipliers” And “We Need To Have People Camped On Unmanned Drop Boxes” To Record “Data, License Plates, Pictures And So On.”
August 2022: Borrelli Told A “Fired Up Audience” To Watch Ballot Drop Boxes At An “Election Security Forum.” “At a nearly 4-hour ‘election security forum,’ Lake Havasu Republican Sonny Borrelli and Oro Valley Republican Representative Mark Finchem both had the same message for the fired up audience in attendance: Watch the drop boxes.” [AZ Mirror, 08/02/22]
- Headline: Republicans Are Urging Vigilantes To Watch Ballot Drop Boxes, Polling Locations, To Sniff Out Fraud. [AZ Mirror, 08/02/22]
Borrelli Said “We Need To Be Force Multipliers,” And “We Need To Have People Camped On Unmanned Drop Boxes And Camp On Those And Keep An Eye On Them And Take Down That Data, License Plates, Pictures And So On And So Forth.” “‘We need to be force multipliers,’ Borrelli told the crowd in Tempe Saturday. ‘We need to have people camped on unmanned drop boxes and camp on those and keep an eye on them and take down that data, license plates, pictures and so on and so forth.’” [AZ Mirror, 08/02/22]
Borrelli’s “Call To Action” Stemmed From “Allegations Made In A Highly Flawed Film By Controversial Filmmaker Dinesh D’souza.” “Borrelli’s call to action is similar to one made earlier this year by Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa, who praised ‘vigilantes’ who intended to spy on dropboxes; she implored them to use trail cameras and to get people’s license plate numbers. The calls to action stems from allegations made in a highly flawed film by controversial filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza.” [AZ Mirror, 08/02/22]
Then-State Rep. Mark Finchem, “One Of The State’s Loudest Proponents Of Baseless Election Fraud Claims,” Told Attendees To Appear At Polling Places, Saying “The Mere Fact That You Are There Watching Scares The Hell Out Of Them.” “And Mark Finchem, one of the state’s loudest proponents of baseless election fraud claims who is running to oversee elections as secretary of state, urged attendees to show up at their local polling places on Tuesday to monitor voters and watch for suspicious activity. ‘Stand 75 feet away from the entrance of the polls,’ Finchem, who is running for Secretary of State, said. ‘The mere fact that you are there watching scares the hell out of them.’” [AZ Mirror, 08/02/22]
- Mark Finchem Was An Arizona State Representative Until July 2023. [Linkedin Profile for Mark Finchem, accessed 10/11/23]
In Arizona, There Is Supposed To Be “An Official Process For Election Observers At Polling Locations,” With Observers Authorized By The Political Parties. “There is an official process for election observers at polling locations. Observers must be authorized by a political party. Only one can be at each polling site, and they cannot interact with voters.” [AZ Mirror, 08/02/22]
¶ 2022: Arizona Attorney General Investigators Reported That Sen. Borrelli Did Not Repeat His Claims Of A Massive Voter Fraud Cover-Up When Meeting With Agents, He Only Provided One Allegedly Deceased Voter Who Agents Determined Was Alive And Thus Was Not An Instance Of Voter Fraud, And Told Agents He “Misspoke” When Claiming Evidence Of Fraud Would “Evaporate” If Handed To The Attorney General’s Office.
Borrelli, Who Long Claimed That He Would Provide Proof Of Widespread Election Fraud, Gave Arizona Attorney General Investigators Just One Name Of An Allegedly Deceased Voter—The Investigators Later Found That The Voter Was Alive. “Borrelli, during his frequent interviews on right-wing internet shows, said he would bring all the evidence of election wrongdoing to the Arizona Attorney General's investigators. But when he met with investigators, he made no great claims: He just gave them the name of a person he claimed had died before the election and still voted. The investigators checked, their report says. The voter was still alive.” [Arizona Daily Star, 03/01/23 (Opinion)]
- Sen. Borrelli “Spent Much Of 2021 And 2022 Arguing That Arizona's 2020 General Election Was Rigged And Should Be Decertified.” “State Sens. Sonny Borrelli and Rogers, as well as former state Rep. Mark Finchem have, of course, performed frequently on that fringe stage. They spent much of 2021 and 2022 arguing that Arizona's 2020 general election was rigged and should be decertified. They didn't back it up, though.” [Arizona Daily Star, 03/01/23 (Opinion)]
In A September 2022 Report, A Chief Special Agent From The Arizona Attorney General’s Office Said Borrelli Did Not Repeat His Claims Of A “Cover-up Of Election Irregularities” When He Met With Agents. “Chief Special Agent Reginald Grigsby summarized investigators' findings in a September 2022 report. [...] Grigsby said in his report that Borrelli alleged a cover-up of election irregularities but did not repeat those claims when agents met with him about his statements.” [The Arizona Republic, 02/24/23]
The Special Agent Reported That Borrelli Provided One Name Of An Allegedly Deceased Voter, Who Agents Found Was Not Deceased, Did Not Vote In Arizona, And Was Not A Resident Of The State. “‘Senator Borrelli provided the name of a deceased voter whom he said he personally checked and the information was valid,’ Grigsby said in the report. ‘When we looked further into that particular voter, it was learned Mr. Borrelli was incorrect; the alleged deceased voter had not voted in the Arizona election and was not a resident of this state.’ The actual voter was alive, living in another state and had cast a lawful ballot, Grigsby said.” [The Arizona Republic, 02/24/23]
Borrelli Said He “Misspoke” When Agents Asked Him About His Conversation Where He Told An Arizona Woman Her Alleged Evidence Of Election Fraud Would “Evaporate” If Given To The Attorney General’s Office—Borrelli Then Told Agents They “Were Doing A Good Job” On The Matter. “Agents questioned Borrelli about a conversation where he was recorded advising a person not to turn over evidence of election fraud to the Attorney General's Office because it would disappear. ‘Mr. Borrelli stated he misspoke and he felt that our agents were doing a good job on this matter,’ Grigsby wrote.” [The Arizona Republic, 02/24/23]
- March 2021: Then-Arizona Senate Majority Whip Sonny Borrelli Told An Arizonan Woman Who Claimed To Find Shredded 2020 Election Ballots To Give Him What He Called The “Smoking Gun” Evidence Of Election Fraud. “A top-ranking Senate Republican told a Pinal County woman who claims to have found shredded 2020 ballots in a trash bin that she should turn them over to him and warned against trusting the Republican attorney general with the ‘smoking gun’ evidence of election fraud. Sen. Sonny Borrelli, the Senate majority whip, also speculated that ‘high-level people’ want the Senate’s investigation into the election to go away, and that the only way to make that happen would be if he were killed.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
- Borrelli Told The Woman, “If They Seize That Stuff From You, That Stuff Could Disappear,” And “If You Turn It Over To Them, It’s Going To Evaporate.” “Borrelli told Staci Burk and another, unnamed woman that she should provide the shredded ballots to him and to the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms. ‘If they seize that stuff from you, that stuff could disappear,’ Borrelli said of the Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office, which he said was uninterested in ferreting out election fraud. ‘If you turn it over to them, it’s going to evaporate.’” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
Borrelli, Who Claimed There Were “As Many As 200,000 Unaccounted Ballots In The 2020 Election,” Said Of Attorney General’s Office Investigators, “Obviously They Didn't Look, Because Had They Looked, They Would Have Found One Ballot Envelope That Was Signed By The Person.” “Borrelli said he gave investigators thumb drives and documents raising questions about the chain of custody of ballots. He said there were as many as 200,000 unaccounted ballots in the 2020 election. ‘I would say that is not insignificant evidence,’ Borrelli said. ‘It's up to the criminal investigators to follow through and verify ... Obviously they didn't look, because had they looked, they would have found one ballot envelope that was signed by the person. And when you go to the voter registration form where it's cut and pasted, it had a completely different name.’” [The Arizona Republic, 02/24/23]
The Investigators’ Report Stated That “Senator Borrelli Did Not Have Any Further Information To Provide.” “‘Senator Borrelli did not have any further information to provide,’ their September 2022 report said.” [Arizona Daily Star, 03/01/23 (Opinion)]
¶ In 2021, Trump Praised Sen. Borrelli As “Amazing” For His Vote Conspiracy Efforts, Borrelli Called For The 2020 Election To Be “Nullified” On Steve Bannon’s Show, Said Alleged Voter Fraud Evidence Would “Evaporate” If Given To The Attorney General, And He Sustained The Big Lie In Pushing Overly Complex Ballot Security Measures.
¶ 2021: Trump Said To Sen. Borrelli, “Sonny, You’re Really An Amazing Guy And A Brave Guy And A Strong Smart Guy” As He Praised “Unyielding Conservative Warriors In The Arizona State Senate,” Who Trump Said “Created A Movement” Of “Election Integrity.”
July 2021: At Turning Point Action’s Student Action Summit In Phoenix, Arizona, Former President Trump Said Of Sonny Borrell, “He’s Great,” And Said To Borrelli, “Sonny, You’re Really An Amazing Guy And A Brave Guy And A Strong Smart Guy.” “Former President Trump delivered remarks at Turning Point Action’s Student Action Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. [...] TRUMP: Sonny Borrelli. He’s great. Where’s Sonny? There he is. I recognize that man from television, but I don’t know Sonny. But Sonny, you’re really an amazing guy and a brave guy and a strong smart guy. Thank you very much.” [C-SPAN, 07/24/21 (11:56)]
- Trump Said, “We’re Gathered Here In Phoenix To Show Our Support For Election Integrity And For The Brave And Unyielding Conservative Warriors In The Arizona State Senate,” Saying They “Created A Movement All Over The Country.” “TRUMP: We’re gathered here in Phoenix to show our support for election integrity and for the brave and unyielding conservative warriors in the Arizona state Senate. Thank you. Created a movement all over the country. This is now starting all over the country.” [C-SPAN, 07/24/21 (07:20)]
¶ 2021: Sen. Borrelli Called For The 2020 Presidential Election To Be “Nullified,” Calling A Republican Audit Confirming Biden’s Victory In Arizona A “Psychological Operation,” That Liberals “Resurrected [Nazi Propaganda Chief Joseph] Goebbels’” Adding That Arizona’s Republican Attorney General Could “Nullify” Results Due To “Criminal Behavior.”
September 2021: Sen. Borrelli Called For The 2020 Presidential Election To Be “Nullified,” Calling Audit Results Confirming President Joe Biden’s Victory A “Psychological Operation.” “Republican Arizona state Senator Sonny Borrelli has called for the 2020 presidential election to be ‘nullified’ after deeming the results of the controversial audit that again confirmed President Joe Biden's victory last week a ‘psychological operation.’” [Newsweek, 09/27/21]
After An Audit Ordered By The Republican-Controlled Senate Confirmed Biden’s Victory, Borrelli Said The Audit Confirmed A “Cover Up” On Former Trump Adviser Steve Bannon’s Podcast. “The results of the audit, conducted by the firm Cyber Ninjas at the behest of the GOP-controlled state Senate, were released on Friday and showed that Biden beat former President Donald Trump by an even larger margin than in the official vote count. Regardless, Borrelli insisted that the Maricopa County audit showed there was an Arizona election ‘cover up’ during a Monday interview on former Trump adviser Steve Bannon's War Room: Pandemic podcast.” [Newsweek, 09/27/21]
Borrelli Said, “Obviously, What We Have Here—It's Not A Conspiracy Theory Anymore [...] We Actually Have Evidence Of A Conspiracy To Cover Up.” "‘Obviously, what we have here—it's not a conspiracy theory anymore, that's what they called us, conspiracy theorists—but we actually have evidence of a conspiracy to cover up,’ Borrelli said.” [Newsweek, 09/27/21]
Borrelli Said The “Cover Up” Was “Perpetrated By Maricopa County And The Secretary Of State's Office” And “Perpetuated By The Fake News Mainstream Media.” “‘That's been perpetrated by Maricopa County and the secretary of state's office. And perpetuated by the fake news mainstream media.’” [Newsweek, 09/27/21]
Borrelli Said “We're All Experiencing...A Psychological Operation Put Forth By The Propaganda Machine Of The Left,” Who He Said “Resurrected [Nazi Propaganda Chief Joseph] Goebbels.” “‘Now we're all experiencing...a psychological operation put forth by the propaganda machine of the left,’ he added. ‘The Democrats, the left, whatever it is. Whatever you want to call it. They just kind of resurrected [Nazi propaganda chief Joseph] Goebbels. Because what they're trying to do is a psychological operation of disinformation, misinformation.’” [Newsweek, 09/27/21]
Borrelli Argued That Arizona’s Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich Could “Nullify” Election Results Due To “Criminal Behavior.” “Borrelli maintained that ‘decertify’ was not the right ‘terminology,’ arguing that Republican Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich could ‘nullify those results’ due to alleged ‘criminal behavior’ in the election. He insisted the fact that the audit showed Biden won more votes than Trump was only ‘the spin, the psychological operation that the left, the media, is putting out there.’” [Newsweek, 09/27/21]
Borrelli Claimed The Audit Showed That “Fraudulent” Ballots Were Illegally Counted, Despite “No Evidence Of Fraud.” “Borrelli claimed that the audit had shown ‘fraudulent’ ballots were counted, suggesting that some of the ballots had been illegally counted due to questionable signatures of ballot envelopes. However, no evidence of fraud was found and Maricopa County officials made it clear that any counted ballots with signature issues had been validated by a curing process that included contacting voters.” [Newsweek, 09/27/21]
¶ 2021: Then-Senate Majority Whip Sonny Borrelli Told A Woman Who Claimed To Find Evidence Of Election Fraud That It Could “Disappear” And “Evaporate” If She Gave It To The Attorney General; Borrelli Told Her It Would Be Harder For “High-Level” Enemies To Silence Him, “Unless They Whack Me Out.”
March 2021: Then-Arizona Senate Majority Whip Sonny Borrelli Told An Arizonan Woman Who Claimed To Find Shredded 2020 Election Ballots To Give Him What He Called The “Smoking Gun” Evidence Of Election Fraud. “A top-ranking Senate Republican told a Pinal County woman who claims to have found shredded 2020 ballots in a trash bin that she should turn them over to him and warned against trusting the Republican attorney general with the ‘smoking gun’ evidence of election fraud. Sen. Sonny Borrelli, the Senate majority whip, also speculated that ‘high-level people’ want the Senate’s investigation into the election to go away, and that the only way to make that happen would be if he were killed.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
- Staci Burk Claimed To Have Found The Shredded 2020 Election Ballots In A Dumpster Behind The Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center In March 2021. “Borrelli told Staci Burk and another, unnamed woman that she should provide the shredded ballots to him and to the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms. [...] Burk claims to have found shredded ballots from the 2020 general election in a Dumpster behind the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center on Saturday.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
- Burk Said She Provided The Recording Of Her Phone Call With Borrelli To The Arizona Mirror. “It is unclear exactly when the call took place. Burk claims to have found shredded ballots from the 2020 general election in a Dumpster behind the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center on Saturday. Burk provided a recording of the call to the Arizona Mirror on Tuesday.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
Borrelli Told The Woman, “If They Seize That Stuff From You, That Stuff Could Disappear,” And “If You Turn It Over To Them, It’s Going To Evaporate.” “Borrelli told Staci Burk and another, unnamed woman that she should provide the shredded ballots to him and to the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms. ‘If they seize that stuff from you, that stuff could disappear,’ Borrelli said of the Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s office, which he said was uninterested in ferreting out election fraud. ‘If you turn it over to them, it’s going to evaporate.’” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
Borrelli Called Himself The “Instigator” Of The Arizona Senate’s 2020 Election Fraud Investigation. “Borrelli said he’s the primary reason why the Senate has sought to investigate the 2020 election, describing himself as the ‘instigator’ who prodded his colleagues to action.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
- The Arizona Senate Audited Maricopa County’s 2020 Election Results, Based On “The Baseless And Thoroughly Debunked Conspiracy Theory” Of Widespread Election Fraud. “The Senate, motivated by the baseless and thoroughly debunked conspiracy theory alleging President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump through widespread election fraud, is preparing for an audit of the 2020 election in Maricopa County.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
Borrelli Said “It Would Be Harder For His ‘High-Level’ Enemies To Silence Him” Than The Woman With The Alleged Ballots. “He added that it would be harder for his ‘high-level’ enemies to silence him than Burk.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
Borrelli Told The Woman, “They Can’t Do Anything To Me. They Can Bully Me All They Want, But They Know They Can’t Take Me Out… Unless They Whack Me Out Or If I Have A Suicide.” “‘If anything freaking happened to me in the Senate, if I got hurt, if I got killed, this whole thing would go away because there’s nobody in the Senate that would push,’ he said. ‘They can try to silence you – you’re a private citizen. They can’t do anything to me. They can bully me all they want, but they know they can’t take me out… unless they whack me out or if I have a suicide.’” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
Maricopa County Election Officials Said The Alleged Ballots Were Not Cast In The 2020 Election, And It Was “Unclear” Where They Came From. “Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and elections department spokeswoman Megan Gilbertson say the ballots Burk found were not cast in the 2020 general election. It’s unclear where the ballots came from.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
Borrelli Said Of Other Arizona Senators, “Trust Me, There Are People Who Would Fold Like A Lawn Chair If I Disappeared. They Would Rather This Thing Just Die Away.” “When the other woman on the call asked if Borrelli could call Fann that night to work out an agreement for the Senate to take the ballots, Borrelli told her and Burk, ‘I don’t trust any of those people. The reason why we are where we are is because I’ve been a pain in the ass in the Senate and wasn’t going to let this go. Trust me, there are people who would fold like a lawn chair if I disappeared. They would rather this thing just die away.’” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
Borrelli Called The Maricopa County Board Of Supervisors “Corrupt Bastards,” Adding “I Want Them In Freaking Jail.” “He also referred to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, who fought the Senate in court for two months in a legal challenge to the subpoenas, as ‘corrupt bastards.’ ‘I want them in freaking jail,’ Borrelli said of the supervisors.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
Borrelli Would Not Tell The Arizona Mirror If He Believed Maricopa County Supervisors Committed Crimes. “Borrelli told the Mirror that if the supervisors committed crimes, they should be tried and imprisoned. He would not say whether he believed the supervisors had committed crimes.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
Borrelli Claimed The Woman Was “All Over The Place,” And Made It Clear She Did Not Trust The Attorney General. “Borrelli told the Mirror that he spoke with Burk on Sunday after being bombarded with calls about her allegations. She was ‘all over the place’ and made it clear that she didn’t trust the attorney general, whom she claimed had ignored other alleged evidence of election fraud she has, so Borrelli said he tried to convince her to hand over the ballots she said she found.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
- Borrelli Said, “If It’s Evidence Of A Crime, It’s Got To Be Turned Over To Law Enforcement. So, I’m Trying To Convince This Lady Who Doesn’t Trust Anybody, So I’m Trying To Use Whatever Communications Skills I Can To Convince This Lady To Trust Me To At Least Let Me Take A Look At Them.” “‘If it’s evidence of a crime, it’s got to be turned over to law enforcement. So, I’m trying to convince this lady who doesn’t trust anybody, so I’m trying to use whatever communications skills I can to convince this lady to trust me to at least let me take a look at them, verify what she’s got is true and correct,’ Borrelli told the Mirror.” [AZ Mirror, 03/11/21]
¶ 2021: Sen. Borrelli Proposed Complex Ballot Security Measures, Including Holograms, Hidden Numbers, And Various Inks And A Fund To Investigate In-Kind Contributions From What He Called Biased Social Media Sites—Several Democratic Senators Noted That Borrelli Was Perpetuating “Conspiracy Theories” And The “Big Lie” Of Election Fraud.
2021: Borrelli Inserted Provisions To Create Ballot Security Measures “Like Holograms, Hidden Numbers Visible Only Under Ultraviolet And The Use Of Thermochromic, Tri-Thermochromic, Photochromic Or Optically Variable Inks.” “State senators voted Wednesday to spend $500,000 to investigate the practices of social media platforms and search engines to see if they are violating campaign finance laws. The provision, inserted at the last minute into the state budget, is part of a proposal by Sen. Sonny Borrelli, R-Lake Havasu City, to enact what he said are reforms to state election laws and provide more security for elections. For example, Senate Bill 1819 requires new security features on ballots, like holograms, hidden numbers visible only under ultraviolet and the use of thermochromic, tri-thermochromic, photochromic or optically variable inks. Borrelli said these are designed to prevent counterfeit ballots from being counted.” [Tucson.com, 06/24/21]
Democratic State Sen. Tony Navarrete Said Borrelli’s Provisions Continued “To Solidify The Conspiracy Theories That Continue To Exist Across Arizona And, Quite Frankly, Across The Country.” “But during floor debate, Sen. Tony Navarrete, D-Phoenix, said this appears to be more about politics than security. ‘It continues to solidify the conspiracy theories that continue to exist across Arizona and, quite frankly, across the country,’ he said.” [Tucson.com, 06/24/21]
Democratic State Sen. Martin Quezada Said, “All It Is Is A Perpetuation, Again, Of A Big Lie. These Are Big, Scary Words, Trying To Scare Voters,” Saying He “Would Really Love For One Of The Members Of The Other Caucus To Get Up And Explain To Me What Thermochromic, Tri-Thermochromic, Photochromic Or Optically Variable Inks Are.’” “Sen. Martin Quezada, D-Glendale, questioned whether Borrelli — or any of the other Republicans supporting the plan — has any idea what they are proposing. ‘I would really love for one of the members of the other caucus to get up and explain to me what thermochromic, tri-thermochromic, photochromic or optically variable inks are,’ he said. ‘But we all know damn well you don't know what any of that stuff is,’ Quezada said. ‘And all it is is a perpetuation, again, of a big lie. These are big, scary words, trying to scare voters into thinking something bad is happening with our ballots.’” [Tucson.com, 06/24/21]
Borrelli Proposed Funding For An “Unreported In-Kind Political Contributions Task Force Fund” To Investigate Whether Social Media Platforms And Search Engines Provide In-Kind Contributions To Certain Candidates. “But the most unusual provision is the $500,000 for a newly created Unreported In-Kind Political Contributions Task Force Fund. The task force would be specifically charged with investigating whether and to what extent the practices of social media platforms and internet search engines effectively become in-kind political contributions to a candidate, meaning the donation not of cash but of a service with financial value.” [Tucson.com, 06/24/21]
- During Debate Over The Provisions, Borrelli Said, “There Are Social Media Platforms That Have Been Very Biased Towards One Particular Party Over Another.” “Borrelli said what he wants ferreted out is more specific. ‘There are social media platforms that have been very biased towards one particular party over another,’ he said.” [Tucson.com, 06/24/21]
- Conservative Politicians “Have Long Contended That Sites Like Twitter And Facebook Have A Liberal Bias.” “Conservative politicians have long contended that sites like Twitter and Facebook have a liberal bias. Those claims were amplified when several sites banned former President Donald Trump after they said he violated their policies by inciting people to violence, particularly ahead of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.” [Tucson.com, 06/24/21]
Democratic State Sen. Juan Mendez Asked, “Am I Going To Have To Start Reporting Retweets As In-Kind Contributions?” “That drew questions from Sen. Juan Mendez, D-Tempe. ‘Am I going to have to start reporting retweets as in-kind contributions?’ he asked.” [Tucson.com, 06/24/21]
¶ In 2020, Sen. Borrelli Attended An Unofficial Election Fraud “Hearing” With Rudy Giuliani And Another Trump Lawyer Who Told Borrelli And Other State Lawmakers “You're The Last Step To Make Sure That This Election Is Not Corrupted.”
¶ 2020: Sen. Borrelli Attended An Unofficial “Hearing” With Trump Lawyer Rudy Giuliani Disputing The Presidential Election, Where Giuliani Called Election Officials “Exceedingly Naïve Or Much Worse,” Among Other Unfounded Claims, And Another Trump Lawyer Told Borrelli And Other Lawmakers, “You're The Last Step To Make Sure That This Election Is Not Corrupted.”
November 2020: Borrelli Attended An Unofficial “Hearing” With Trump’s Personal Lawyer Rudy Giuliani About Others Disputing The Outcome Of The Presidential Election. “President Trump's personal lawyer spent many hours with a handful of Republican Arizona lawmakers at a downtown Phoenix hotel Monday discussing concerns with the 2020 election. Across town, as the meeting wore on, state officials officially certified the results showing the president lost. Rudy Giuliani and state lawmakers billed the meeting as a ‘hearing,’ but it was not an official legislative event. [...] Inside the hotel ballroom, Republican lawmakers Mark Finchem, Bret Roberts, Nancy Barto, Leo Biasiucci, David Cook, Kelly Townsend, David Gowan, Sonny Borrelli and Sylvia Allen listened to ‘witnesses’ — who were not placed under oath — as they explained why they thought Arizona's election results were possibly compromised.” [The Arizona Republic, 11/30/20]
Trump Attorney Jenna Ellis Told Borrelli And Other Republican State Lawmakers, “You're The Last Step To Make Sure That This Election Is Not Corrupted,” Adding “We Are Asking You To Step In To Make Sure That The Corruption That Occurred Here Does Not Stand.” “‘You're the last step to make sure that this election is not corrupted,’ Trump attorney Jenna Ellis told lawmakers: ‘You're the last step to make sure that this election is not corrupted. Again, we aren't asking you to step in and overturn an election. We are asking you to step in to make sure that the corruption that occurred here does not stand.’” [The Arizona Republic, 11/30/20]
Giuliani Said The Democratic Party Was “Corrupted” And, Without Evidence Of Tampering, Said “I Don't Know Who Makes The Choice In Your State Of Who Should Be Counting Your Votes. But I Know That Person Either Is Exceedingly Naïve Or Much Worse.” “Giuliani spoke at length about how the Democratic Party was ‘corrupted.’ He said he assumes Arizonans had no idea a Canadian company provided our voting machines. ‘I don't know who makes the choice in your state of who should be counting your votes. But I know that person either is exceedingly naïve or much worse,’ Giuliani said, without providing evidence that the state's voting machines were manipulated.” [The Arizona Republic, 11/30/20]
Giuliani “Suggested Arizona, Which Has A Total Population Of 7.3 Million, Had 5 Million 'Illegal Aliens’ Living In The State.” “In one exchange with Townsend and Cook, Giuliani asked how many noncitizens voted in the election, and suggested Arizona, which has a total population of 7.3 million, had 5 million ‘illegal aliens’ living in the state.” [The Arizona Republic, 11/30/20]
Giuliani Said Arizona’s Republican Gov. Doug Ducey Was Ignoring Election Conspiracies And Said, “It Seems Like The Governor And The Secretary Of State Just Don't Want The Facts.” “During a later exchange regarding noncitizens voting, Giuliani suggested Arizona's Republican governor, Doug Ducey, was ignoring the issue. Ducey has repeatedly defended the integrity of Arizona's elections. ‘It seems like the governor and the secretary of state just don't want the facts,’ Giuliani said, causing a stir in the ballroom.” [The Arizona Republic, 11/30/20]
¶ Borrelli’s Social Media Posts Include Saying “SURRENDER Is NOT In Our CREED” While Sharing Trump’s Election Fraud Claims, Liking A Post Promoting Jan. 6 Activities That Said “The Time Is Now. Hold The Line,” And Continuing To Spread Trump’s Claim Of “ELECTION INTERFERENCE” Well Into 2023.
¶ Days Before The Jan. 6 Insurrection, Borrelli Posted, “SURRENDER Is NOT In Our CREED” While Sharing A Video Of Trump Saying A “Fraudulent Election” Should Not Be Accepted And Liked A Post That Said “The Time Is Now. Hold The Line. January 6th.”
January 4, 2021: Sonny Borrelli Posted “SURRENDER Is NOT In Our CREED” While Sharing A Video In Which Trump Said, “For All Of These People Who Think It’s Too Late, Does That Mean That We’re Forced To Approve A Fraudulent Election Or An Election With Massive Irregularities? I Don’t Think So.”:
- In The Video, Trump Said, “For All Of These People Who Think It’s Too Late, Does That Mean That We’re Forced To Approve A Fraudulent Election Or An Election With Massive Irregularities? I Don’t Think So. I Don’t Think So.” [X Post by @JackHadders, 01/04/21, accessed 10/19/23 (02:04)]
January 4, 2023: Sen. Borrelli Liked A Post By Trump That Said, “The ‘Surrender Caucus’ Within The Republican Party Will Go Down In Infamy As Weak And Ineffective ‘Guardians’ Of Our Nation, Who Were Willing To Accept The Certification Of Fraudulent Presidential Numbers!”:
January 4, 2021: Sen. Borrelli Liked A Post By Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton—Who Was Identified As An Unindicted Co-Conspirator To Overturn 2020 Election Results In Georgia—Which Said “Moving To Ensure A Lawful Election Result Is Not ‘Overturning’ An Election”:
- Judicial Watch’s Tom Fitton Was Identified By CNN As Unindicted Co-Conspirator 1 In Fulton County, Georgia’s Sweeping Indictment In The Alleged “Criminal Conspiracy To Overturn The 2020 Election.” “Fulton County’s sweeping indictment against former President Donald Trump and 18 additional co-defendants also includes details involving 30 ‘unindicted co-conspirators’ – people who Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis alleges took part in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election. [...] CNN has been able to identify or narrow down nearly all of the unindicted co-conspirators: [...] Co-conspirator 1 is Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch [...] The indictment refers to Trump’s speech on November 4, 2020, ‘falsely declaring victory in the 2020 presidential election’ and that Individual 1 discussed a draft of that speech approximately four days earlier, on October 31, 2020.” [CNN, 08/21/23]
January 4, 2023: Sen. Borrelli Liked Rep. Paul Gosar’s Post Promoting January 6 Activities That Said, “The Time Is Now. Hold The Line. January 6th,” With #FightForTrump:
¶ In 2023 Alone, Sen. Borrelli Reposted Trump’s Claim Of “ELECTION INTERFERENCE” And Trump’s Call To “NEVER SURRENDER,” A Claim That Jan. 6 Was “A STAGED RIOT,” A QAnon Show About “Election Rigging,” And A Book Titled “Stealing Your Vote.”
August 2023: Borrelli Reposted An X Post By Donald J. Trump With His Mug Shot And Captions “ELECTION INTERFERENCE” And “NEVER SURRENDER!”:
- Borrelli Also Reposted An Arizona Republican Party Post Calling Trump’s Arrest In Georgia A “Dark Day For America” And Claiming Democrats Had Taken “ELECTION INTERFERENCE To The Next Level”:
August 2023: Borrelli Reposted A Video Of Arizona Gubernatorial Candidate Kari Lake Saying, “All That January 6th Was, Was A STAGED RIOT To Cover Up The Fact That They Certified A Fraudulent Election”:
October 2023: Borrelli Reposted An X Post By Arizona Sen. Wendy Rogers About Her Appearance On The X22 Report—A QAnon Show That Was Banned From YouTube—For An Episode Titled “Election Rigging Is Being Exposed Through Their Lies”:
The X22 Report Episode On Which Sen. Rogers Appeared Was “Election Rigging Is Being Exposed Through Their Lies, The People Know The Truth”:
- The X22 Report Has Been Described As A QAnon Show And Was Banned From YouTube. “Last month, former Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., who is now the CEO of Donald Trump's social media platform Truth Social, appeared on ‘X22 Report,’ which Media Matters describes as a QAnon show and Nunes admitted to learning about through Rumble. [...] The man told investigators that he believed the hospital ship ‘was part of a government conspiracy to bring healthy 'open-minded' people onto the ship and 'get rid of them' and described ‘reading internet materials related to conspiracy groups, such as 'X22 Report,' which joined Rumble in 2020 after being banned from YouTube.” [Salon, 05/06/23]
January 2023: Borrelli Reposted Trump Attorney Christina Bobb’s X Post About Her Book Titled “Stealing Your Vote: The Inside Story Of The 2020 Election And What It Means For 2024,” With Bobb Adding #MAGA And #ElectonIntegrity:
- Christina Bobb Is A Trump Attorney Who Has Appeared Before The Federal Grand Jury In Trump’s Classified Documents Case. “Trump attorney Christina Bobb appeared before a federal grand jury in Washington, DC, in recent weeks in connection with the investigation into former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents, two sources have told CNN.” [02/11/23]
¶ Just Two Days After The Insurrection, Sen. Borrelli Liked Rudy Giuliani’s Claim That Insurrectionists Were “Trained Anarchist Activists Trying To Frame Trump.”
January 8, 2023: Sen. Borrelli Liked Rudy Giuliani’s Post That Jan. 6 Insurrectionists Were “Trained Anarchist Activists Trying To Frame Trump”:
¶ 2023: Sen. Borrelli Reposted A Political Cartoon Calling Former Joint Chiefs Of Staff Mark Milley A “Traitor” After Milley Suggested Trump Was A “Wannabe Dictator.”
September 2023: Sonny Borrelli Reposted A Political Cartoon Of Former Joint Chiefs Of Staff Chairman Mark Milley As An “American Traitor,” After Milley Suggested That Former President Trump Was A “Wannabe Dictator”:
- September 2023: As United State Joint Chiefs Of Staff Chairman Mark Milley Retired, He Suggested That Former President Trump Was A “Wannabe Dictator.” “Retiring as chair of the US joint chiefs of staff, the army general Mark Milley directed a parting shot at Donald Trump, the president he served but whom he seemed to call a ‘wannabe dictator’. Speaking at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia, Milley said of the US armed forces: ‘We don’t take an oath to a country. We don’t take an oath to a tribe. We don’t take an oath to a religion. ‘We don’t take an oath to a king, or queen, or tyrant or a dictator, and we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.’” [The Guardian, 09/29/23]
- During The Trump Administration, General Milley Resisted Trump’s Efforts To Have The U.S. Military Intervene In Domestic Politics And Provoke “Confrontations With Foes Including China And Iran.” “Trump, who nominated Milley in 2019, did not immediately comment. But Milley’s struggles to contain Trump, particularly in 2020, the tumultuous final year of his presidency, have been long and widely reported. Such struggles concerned foreign policy, as Milley and other officials sought to stop the erratic president provoking confrontations with foes including China and Iran. But Milley and others also had to keep the US military out of domestic affairs, as Trump chafed against nationwide protests for racial justice, openly yearning to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and thereby call in the army.” [The Guardian, 09/29/23]
- Trump Accused Milley Of “Treasonous” Actions And Suggested Milley Would Be Sentenced To “Death” In “Times Gone By.” “The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff declined to comment on a social media post by Trump last week in which he accused Milley of ‘treasonous’ actions when he reached out to a Chinese military counterpart. In his post, Trump said that in ‘times gone by,’ the punishment for such behavior would be ‘death.’” [NBC News, 10/02/23]