Recently released emails, obtained through a public records request, reveal potential misuse of government resources by former Arizona Secretary of State’s office Elections Analyst Garrett Archer to support Katie Hobbs’ political ambitions and influence elections in early 2019. This occurred shortly after Hobbs assumed office as Secretary of State.
The Gateway Pundit has extensively covered the controversial 2022 gubernatorial election in which Katie Hobbs ran against Kari Lake. As Secretary of State, Hobbs was responsible for overseeing voting machine testing and statewide elections when a significant number of machines seemed to be malfunctioning in Maricopa County.
Archer, known for his efforts to discredit claims of election fraud and defend questionable election practices in Maricopa County, previously held the role of Senior Elections Analyst at the Arizona Secretary of State’s office from September 2016 to April 2019. During his tenure, he managed the Access Voter Information Database (AVID).
Currently, Archer is accused of attempting to conceal election fraud in Arizona and once advocated for criminal charges against TGP reporter Jordan Conradson for reporting on fraudulent mail-in ballot signatures. It appears that Archer and Katie Hobbs may have violated the law by using government resources to support Hobbs’ political campaign.
An email dated January 7, 2019 shows Archer using his official government email address during work hours to request Twitter verification for Katie Hobbs’ personal and campaign accounts. Twitter responded on January 9 stating that verification requests are typically reserved for official government profiles like @SecretaryHobbs. Hobbs was included in the email correspondence.
Twitter later agreed to submit a request for verification while notifying Archer and Katie Hobbs that it is not a guarantee and that the account “looks to be primarily political campaign content.”
Prior to Elon Musk acquiring Twitter and introducing premium subscriptions under the name X, a blue checkmark held significant value, particularly for political campaigns and politicians operating beyond their official roles.
The Gateway Pundit sought guidance from a legal expert who raised doubts about Archer leveraging Hobbs’ position as Secretary of State to obtain a ‘blue check’ for Hobbs’ personal Twitter account. The attorney highlighted that at the time, this privilege was only accessible in specific circumstances, and Twitter’s response suggested it was not easily attainable for her, potentially violating ARS 38-504(C).
According to ARS 38-504(C), public officers or employees are prohibited from using their positions to secure valuable benefits that would not typically come with their official duties if the benefit could unduly influence their actions. Moreover, ARS 16-192 dictates that public entities cannot utilize resources to sway elections. Given that verifying Hobbs’ account with public resources could be seen as an attempt to impact her reelection or candidacy for higher office, it may fall under the purview of this statute. Even Twitter’s Government and Elections team observed that the account primarily featured political campaign content.
And it was used primarily for her political campaign in the last election:
Next stop: Flagstaff 🚌 pic.twitter.com/kuLbKFXwPq
— Katie Hobbs (@katiehobbs) November 5, 2022
This is also the same political campaign account that Katie Hobbs used in 2017 to label Trump supporters “neo-Nazis.”
.@realDonaldTrump has made it abundantly clear he's more interested in pandering to his neo-nazi base than being @POTUS for all Americans.
— Katie Hobbs (@katiehobbs) August 15, 2017
SOOO Mr. GARRETT ARCHER..why do you purport to be so unaware of what Hobbs or Maricopa did when clearly you neglected to mention you stayed on & worked for her?
Funny you never mentioned this.You play dumb constantly about things you have much more PERSONAL knowledge… pic.twitter.com/vw76Umplv0
— TXSavingTheUSA (@TxSaving) March 12, 2024
Archer responded to the revelation of his seemingly illegal actions while working for Katie Hobbs by noting that he did not secretly leave or neglect to disclose his previous employment. However, he does not currently have an explanation for his use of government resources to boost Katie Hobbs’ political campaign.
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