FBI, AGO Have No Record Of Getting True The Vote’s Hard Drive Of Purported Election Fraud Data

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With all the talk by certain 2022 candidates about wanting to avoid the type of election fraud which allegedly occurred in 2020, many Arizonans would be surprised to learn that one of the loudest proponents of fraud claims has ignored numerous requests to share their data with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office (AGO).

True The Vote officials have claimed for more than 14 months to be in possession of “evidence” of alleged election misconduct in Yuma and Maricopa counties from 2020. And earlier this year, the group claimed a hard drive was given to the AGO in June 2021 containing “all Arizona-related information gathered to that point,” according to public records obtained by Arizona Daily Independent.

The only problem is the AGO special agents involved in the investigation insist no hard drive has ever been provided by True The Vote, not in 2021 and not in response to several requests this year.

So when Cole Hughes, the executive director of True The Vote, wrote in a May 27, 2022 letter that a hard drive was also given to the FBI, Special Agent William Knuth asked the federal agency to share the data so Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s investigators could review it for any alleged violations of Arizona law.

But the FBI had nothing to turn over, public records show.

That is just one of the efforts by Brnovich’s staff this year to get True The Vote officials to turn over its data, which purportedly involves 243 suspected ballot harvesters and locations of suspected ballot stash houses discussed in the “2000 Mules” movie.

Most recently, AGO Supervising Special Agent James Cope told True The Vote officials that the State of Arizona would “provide for your flights and hotel accommodations.” Those efforts have been unsuccessful to date, according to an AGO spokesman.

There is, however, a likely reason True The Vote would not want to give up its purported evidence at this time. It involves the Texas-based group’s credit as an executive producer of “2000 Mules,” the Dinesh D’Souza-directed movie which purports to prove organized fraud in the 2020 General Election.

D’Souza has a book coming out later this month which is being promoted as exposing “the powerful evidence of voting fraud that you were told didn’t exist.” The hardcover book can be pre-ordered for about $27.

TIMELINE:

June 3, 2021 – Gregg Phillips of True The Vote meets in Phoenix with several of Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s special agents. He reportedly promises to turn over “data” the group claimed to possess about election fraud in Arizona.

March 28, 2022 – True The Vote files a complaint concerning “ballot trafficking” in Maricopa County and Yuma County during the 2020 General Election.

March 31, 2022 – Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of True The Vote, sends an email to the AGO seeking to meet in early April in Phoenix as a follow-up to the June 2021 meeting.  She notes her group “will be providing all raw data to the FBI Phoenix office and are meeting with them as well.”

April 5, 2022 – Engelbrecht meets with various AGO investigators in Phoenix. During the meeting the parties have “an extensive discussion” of a True The Vote report prepared for the Arizona Legislature. According to the AGO, the group’s officials promise again to share data about election fraud.

May 5, 2022 – One month after the meeting with Engelbrecht and with no data provided from True The Vote, AGO Special Agent Roger Geisler sends a status message through the group’s website.

May 6, 2022 – Engelbrecht responds via email that the group’s time “has been diverted to another project that consumed our entire team’s focus.” She assures Geisler that True The Vote will “wrap up everything we have and send to you next week.” The next week went by without anything provided by the group, as did the next week.

May 20, 2022 – AGO Supervising Special Agent James Cope writes to Engelbrecht. “We are still very much interested in the date you stated you would provide us during our meeting on April 5th, 2022,” he wrote. Cope provides information on how to deliver the data to his staff.

May 27, 2022 –True The Vote claims for the first time it gave AGO investigators a hard drive of Arizona elections data in June 2021 and that an “identical copy” was provided to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Arizona, Cope was told by Cole Hughes, True The Vote’s executive director. Hughes also noted Engelbrecht and Gregg Phillips would be available June 1 “to provide additional information for your reference.”

May 31, 2022 – Engelbrecht and Phillips discuss their group’s methodology and findings with several Arizona lawmakers.

May 31, 2022 – Cope responds to Hughes, confirming the June 1 meeting. He also pushes back on any claim that the AGO received a hard drive from True The Vote  in 2021 or since. Cope asks once again for “all of the information and data that you have compiled” so that the AGO’s investigation could continue.

June 1, 2022 – AGO Special Agent William Knuth write to the FBI- Phoenix Office after meeting early in the day with True The Vote officials. He requests the data which Engelbrecht and Phillips indicated has been provided to the FBI.

June 3, 2022 – Cope asks Phillips for “another meeting with you so we can obtain the information you developed related to election integrity in Arizona.” Taxpayers would even cover the cost of airfare and hotel, Cope promised.

June 16, 2022 – Copes tries once again to get Phillips to share the promised True The Vote data and reiterates that his travel costs would be covered by the State. He sends identical letters to Engelbretch and Hughes.

August 1, 2022 – Preorders for the “2000 Mules” book are accepted in advance of its August 30 release.