Arizona GOP chair accused of ‘aiding a coup attempt’ by January 6 committee

The January 6 Committee accused Dr Ward of playing a pivotal part in spreading the false narrative of a stolen election

The January 6 Committee has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward’s filing to protect her phone records.

In a filing by House Counsel Douglas Letter, the committee urged the SCOTUS to reconsider Justice Elena Kagan’s decision to temporarily freeze the subpoena of Dr Ward’s T-Mobile records from 1 November 2020 to 31 January 2021.

The report accused Dr Ward of playing a pivotal part in spreading the false narrative of a stolen election that motivated the Capitol riot. Dr Ward was one of 11 fake electors in Arizona who sent illegitimate Electoral College votes to Congress, inaccurately described by her as “represent[ing] the legal voters of Arizona.”

According to the Jan 6 Committee, Dr Ward also accused a Republican member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors of playing for the “wrong team,” and told them that “people will remember,” when she found out that the board had planned a meeting to certify President Joe Biden’s victory. Dr Ward also promoted debunked claims about the Dominion voting system.

“Dr Ward aided a coup attempt,” the Friday filing reads.

The phone records subpoenaed by the House Committee do not include the content of her communications or the parties’ location, merely “important details regarding the timing and frequency of communications between Dr Ward and “other participants in the scheme.”

Dr Ward appeared before the January 6 Committee earlier this year and pleaded the Fifth during questioning. On Wednesday, Dr Ward and her husband filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court to protect her phone records from being subpoenaed.

Justice Elena Kagan temporarily blocked the subpoena, which may not represent the court’s final decision, CNN reported.

Before Dr Ward raised the matter to the Supreme Court, her earlier attempt to block the subpoena citing concerns about patient confidentiality was blocked by an Arizona federal district court.

“Because of the actions by former President Trump, those who physically attacked the United States Capitol, and people like Kelli Ward (who played a significant role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election), the events of January 6, 2021, were a national tragedy,” the House Committee filing states.

“That Dr Ward was not present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th is of no moment. She coordinated with President Trump and his allies to pressure local and state officials in Arizona to alter the ballot tallies.”

The committee accused Dr Ward of telling officials in Maricopa County, the most populous county in Arizona, “to stop counting ballots” days after the election. She also allegedly tried to arrange a call between Chairman Clint Hickman and President Trump.

“[Dr Ward also] encouraged four out of the five members of that Board (including Chairman Hickman) to contact President Trump’s lawyer Sidney Powell, who was promoting a wide range of falsehoods about the election,” the document reads.