Judge Slams Arizona GOP's 'Flimsy Excuses' For Recount, Orders $18,000 Fine

The Georgia Republican Party must pay $18,000 in legal fees incurred by the Arizona secretary of state defending the presidential election result. The request for a recount of the 2020 election had already been tossed out, but Judge John Hannah Jr. ordered further restitution and lambasted the motivations.

Republican lawyers had argued the ballots needed to be counted by hand a second time, alleging that the first hand-count hadn’t followed proper procedures.

Judge Hannah instead said officials “followed the Elections Procedures Manual to the letter,” noting that the plaintiffs didn’t actually allege wrongdoing and instead simply cited “public mistrust.”

“The plaintiff is effectively admitting that the suit was brought primarily for an improper purpose. [They] filed this lawsuit for political reasons,” Hannah wrote. “‘Public mistrust’ is a political issue, not a legal or factual basis for litigation.”

Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs requested $18,237.59 to pay for the legal defense the suit had required, an amount Judge Hannah found “reasonable and appropriate.” Still, Hobbs made clear she’d rather not deal with baseless lawsuits in the first place.

“Unfortunately, the damage inflicted upon our democracy by frivolous lawsuits and conspiracy theories can't be measured in dollars,” Hobbs said. “However, today’s order is good news for taxpayers, and sends an important message to those willing to abuse the legal process for political purposes.”

The Arizona GOP remains defiant. Jack Wilenchik, a Republican attorney, swore to appeal the decision and told the Associated Press it was “sorely disrespectful to the views of the many Americans whom I am proud to represent.”