Readers might recall that back in April, a grand jury in
Maricopa County, Arizona, indicted nearly 20 Republicans and associates
of Donald Trump, after Democrat state Attorney General Kris Mayes
brought a case against 2020 "fake electors" on felony charges of fraud,
forgery, and conspiracy:
A grand jury in Arizona has handed down indictments
against 11 Arizona Republicans at the center of the "fake elector"
controversy of 2020 - in which Republicans were attempting to nominate
and send "alternate" electors to Washington D.C. - electors who
supported the theory that the 2020 election was stolen.
...
The
11 Republicans met at the Arizona GOP headquarters a month after the
2020 election and signed a certificate claiming to be the 11 electors
from the state. They posted the letter to social media and sent it to
Congress.
My colleague Joe Cunningham added that
another party mentioned in the indictment is "unindicted co-conspirator
1," who is believed to be former president Donald Trump.
Read more: Arizona Grand Jury Indicts 11 Republicans, Trump Associates in 2020 'Fake Elector' Scheme
The
grand total of those indicted ended up as 18, including former Trump
administration chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorneys Rudy Giuliani and
Jenna Ellis, former Arizona GOP chairwoman Kelli Ward, and others.
On Wednesday, the judge in that case recused himself, after a sheaf of emails surfaced showing bias toward 2024 Democrat presidential nominee, Kamala Harris:
Maricopa
County Superior Court Judge Bruce Cohen, the judge presiding over
Arizona’s case against pro-Trump fake electors, has removed himself from
the job following allegations of bias.
The Arizona Daily Independent reported on the emails, which were obtained by Arizona state Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Travis Grantham.
In
the emails, "Cohen demanded that all judges and all commissioners —
especially those who were white and/or male — defend Kamala Harris and
other people of color":
Cohen took
offense with the rhetoric surrounding the selection of Harris for the
Democratic presidential candidate as the “DEI hire” and the questioning
of her integrity with claims that she would be promiscuous with generals
in the Situation Room.
He wrote:
“It
does matter if your chromosomes are made up of ‘XY.’ It matters even
more if your skin color is characterized as ‘white’ or Caucasian. We
must speak out. We must tell those within our circles of influence that
this s**t must stop. NOW! We cannot allow our female colleagues to feel
as if they stand alone when there are those who may intimate that their
ascension was anything other than based upon exceptionalism. We cannot
allow our colleagues who identify as being a ‘person of color’ to stand
alone when there are those may claim that their ascension was an ‘equity
hire’ rather than based solely upon exceptionalism. We no longer can
stay silent merely because others are exercising their right to free
speech — we, too, have that same right and must exercise it.”
Also contained in the emails was an exhortation to defend Harris against criticism by "Nazis":
Cohen
equated Harris’ critics to the Nazis, and said that those who refused
to stand up for Harris as well as other females and “colleagues who
identify as being a ‘person of color’” were as bad as those who allowed
the evil of the Holocaust to take place.
The Daily
Independent reported that the following day, Judge Cohen transmitted
another email to his judicial colleagues--an apology:
“Earlier
this week I allowed my passion to cloud my judgment and sent an email
using this as my forum. After reflection, I have come to realize that
this was not proper use of this forum. I sincerely apologize to anyone
put off or negatively impacted by my lapse of judgment.”
On Wednesday, the judge went a step futher, announcing in a court document his decision to step aside on the 2020 electors case. He wrote:
“This
court is also mindful of the appearances the subject email may have
created for those who have interpreted the communication differently
than intended. Out of a commitment to justice, even the appearance of
bias cannot be allowed to undermine the fundamental fairness that is
extended by the court to all who come before it.”
Former Democrat Governor Janet Napolitano first appointed Cohen to the Arizona bench in 2005. His term ends in January 2025.
The recusal springs from a filing with the Arizona Superior Court by
David Warrington and Michael Columbo, the lawyers representing Arizona
state Senator Jake Hoffman in the suit. They questioned whether Cohen
could remain impartial in light of his emails, writing in part:
"While
Judge Cohen is entitled to his political opinions and speech, his
rhetoric and exhortation precisely mirrors the evidence of hostile
partisan political zealotry at the heart of the motions to dismiss [the
case] that have been languishing before the Court for months."
You can read the filing here.
The "fake electors" trial is scheduled to begin in January 2026. RedState will keep you posted on developments in this story.
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