A bombshell new report by The Arizona Republic states that Trump attempted to pull the same “trick” in Arizona that he attempted in Georgia, calling up state representatives and trying to impose his will on the vote count. In the Arizona case, he wanted the vote count stopped altogether.

In our minds, these crimes are vastly more severe and serious than anything involving money. These crimes go to the fundamental makeup of the country and impact Americans’ faith in democracy itself. It is not hyperbole to say that actions like these could bring down the world’s oldest democracy.

From the report:

“Then-President Donald Trump tried to speak directly with the chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in the weeks after the November 2020 election as his allies sought to change the election results in a state he narrowly lost to Democrat Joe Biden. New records obtained by The Arizona Republic reveal the behind-the scenes efforts by Trump, his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, and state GOP Chair Kelli Ward to pressure the county supervisors, who make up the elected body that oversees elections in the state’s most populous county,”

“Much of the attention from Trump’s allies was focused on Supervisor Clint Hickman, the 56-year-old lifelong Republican from a prominent West Valley family that runs an egg company. At the time, Hickman chaired the five-member Republican-controlled board, a position that gave him the power to set agendas, hold hearings on the election process, and certify — or delay — the 2020 election results,

“I was horrified,” Hickman said, fearing he would receive a similar call. “I’m not going to tape a president, so I’m not going to talk to a president … I didn’t want to have a very rough call to my home on a Sunday night.“

Ward texted Hickman: “We need you to stop the counting.”

BREAKING NEWS WITH AUDIO: 'We need you to stop the counting': Records detail intense efforts by Trump allies to pressure Maricopa County supervisors https://t.co/dYr5XuQ1Vt via @azcentral @kathytulumello @WendellK @dannowicki

— Yvonne Wingett Sanchez (@yvonnewingett) July 2, 2021

This is far more serious than any financial crime, more serious than any crime that Trump could’ve committed that didn’t involve conflicts of interest with foreign countries. We have come to expect little in these matters, but this one better have significant consequences.

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