TRANSPARENCY: SCOTUS won’t let Arizona GOP chair hide phone records from January 6th Committee
Kelli Ward, the chair of the Arizona Republican Party who was subpoenaed for her role in the “alternate electors” scheme, cannot prevent the January 6th Committee from accessing her phone records, the Supreme Court has determined.
Ward applied to SCOTUS for protection from a subpoena that she says violates her First Amendment rights, as the House Select Committee demanded phone records that could provide more information about her role in the plot to install false electors who could cast fake electoral votes for Donald Trump.
The plot ultimately failed, but it potentially confused and muddled the confirmation of the real electoral vote on January 6th.
The records could also provide evidence about the involvement of others, who Ward may have communicated with about the plot. The Committee’s work is coming to a close, and their report is expected before the end of the year, but they’re still gathering information on potential co-conspirators and the connections between Trump and others involved in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Ward had entered a last-ditch plea to the Supreme Court, and though she received a temporary reprieve, the court has now lifted the stay, and T-Mobile is expected to follow through, turning over records as requested. Two justices disagreed with the decision.
Sponsored Links
The court responded briefly:
“The application for stay and injunction presented to Justice Kagan and by her referred to the Court is denied…Justice Thomas and Justice Alito would grant the application for stay and injunction.”
Politico’s Kyle Cheney shared the terse order:
Sponsored Links
BREAKING: The Supreme Court has *denied* AZ GOP chair Kelli Ward’s effort to block the Jan. 6 committee from accessing her phone records.
Alito and Thomas would’ve granted it. pic.twitter.com/0GKew7OJ0V
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) November 14, 2022
Sponsored Links
It’s unsurprising that Justice Clarence Thomas would have allowed Ward to avoid turning over her phone records, particularly since they could confirm whether his wife Ginni Thomas was among the callers as the fake elector scheme was being hatched. Many people believed that Thomas should have recused himself from the decision given his wife’s potential involvement.
Per SCOTUS Blog, the House Select Committee also weighed in with the Supreme Court, disavowing claims that they would, in turn, be contacting everyone Ward had spoken to in the relevant time period, and explaining why her information is important:
“The Jan. 6 committee countered that Ward “played an important role” in the events that led to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, from her efforts to stop the vote count in the state’s largest county to serving as a fake elector ‘as part of Trump’s scheme to overturn the election on January 6th by sending Congress spurious electoral slates in contravention of the actual electoral outcome in several states.’”
Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.
that supports ONLY good Democratic candidates
Please consider supporting the fund. Thank you!
