Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has officially joined forces with a group of 21 other state attorneys general to call out the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent moves against Minnesota. This multistate alliance has taken a stand against what they see as coercive practices by the DOJ under the Trump administration, pushing back against federal demands they find intrusive.
The central issue at hand involves a letter sent by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz on January 24. This communication took the state to task, accusing it of enabling voter fraud and insisting on actions such as disclosing sensitive Medicaid and SNAP data, along with granting federal access to voter information. Critics, including AG Mayes, are not willing to simply lay down and expose their states’ residents to these overreaches. "Arizonan's data is not up for grabs. From voter rolls to SNAP information, Arizonan's private information is being protected by my office and full force of the law," Mayes stated, according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office.
In a letter of response led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, the coalition of attorneys general rebuked Bondi's claims and warned that such threats could potentially upset the constitutional balance of power. They assert that the demands intrude upon state sovereignty and aim to unlawfully coerce the state of Minnesota.
Members of this coalition are vowing to continue to protect their states against unwarranted federal interference, defending both state sovereignty and the rights of residents. "In the face of the escalation we're seeing in Minnesota and Fulton County, Georgia, I will continue to work with state and local elections partners to defend the sensitive data of Arizona voters and safeguard our independent election systems," AG Mayes promised, as per the statement from her office. The attorneys general are urging the administration to promptly cease its campaign against Minnesota and retract its demands, according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office.
Among those joining AG Mayes and AG James are the attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. The collective stance of these state officials underscores a broader concern about federal overreach and a determined commitment to resist what they view as overzealous and unconstitutional demands.
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