Homeland Insecurity Secretary Kristi Noem, accompanied by Arizona election conspiracy/denier fanatic officeholders Justin Heap and John Gillette, held a press conference in Phoenix today advocating for the SAVE Act, which she says will do away with the scourge of illegal alien voting in the United States.
Remember, this is the same Kristi Noem who said Renee Good and Alex Pretti were domestic terrorists after they were mowed down on live video by ICE-Trump Gestapo gunmen.
During her presentation, she repeated the same old false conspiracy dark tales of illegal aliens and criminals voting en masse to overrule the will of the American voter.
This assertion has been fact-checked and refuted on numerous occasions.
Please click here to read Maricopa County Recorder Steven Richers fact check for the conservative CATO Institute, which shows the Trump/Noem claims are bull fecal matter.
During the question and answer session following her remarks, Noem evaded the first question from a reporter that reminded her that there is no widespread fraud in Arizona.
In response to another question, she called the Arizona handling of elections “an absolute disaster,” accusing leaders of “not having systems that work and disenfranchising Americans who wanted to vote that had to stand in lines for hours.”
She also tried to double-talk a response with regard to the ability of tribal nation members to properly register to vote under the SAVE Act.
When asked about specific examples of Arizonans committing electoral fraud, Noem could not name any.
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, the office holder in charge of safeguarding elections in the state, wasted no time in issuing the below video statement on social media, refuting Noem’s claims.
An excerpt of the Secretary’s comments are below:
“Have you ever had somebody come to your job and tell you to do a job that you’re already doing? Well, that’s what Kristi Noem just did to the State of Arizona and to my office, and I’ve got to tell you something, Secretary Noem, I’ll give you a little bit of grace [because] maybe your staff is terrible, maybe they briefed you wrong, because we already have documented proof of citizenship at registration for Arizona’s voters…We already have voter ID at polling places—we’ve been doing that for a long time…Here’s the problem: You’re coming into Arizona, Secretary Noem, and telling me, the Secretary of State, to do a job that I’m already doing. But here’s the hook: I could be doing my job better if your friends in the State Legislature here in Arizona would fund and support the Arizona Voters First Act. We’re just asking for funding for ERIC, funding for the counties for their voter registration system, funding for our IT security systems, to bring back the permanent early voters list, and all those pro-voter programs that you say you want, because we can have accessible and secure elections at the same time. So don’t come into Arizona, there from Washington DC and tell us how to run our election, we’re doing just fine without you.”
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes also lent her support to Fontes and Arizona’s other election officials, saying in a press statement:
“Arizona’s elections are safe and secure. The election deniers now staffing the Trump administration have spent the past six years lying to the American people in a deliberate effort to destroy trust in our election system. Multiple investigations, independent audits, and courts across this country have all reached the same conclusion: voter fraud is exceedingly rare and has not played a meaningful role in the outcome of an election.
“Secretary Noem told the press that Arizona “is an absolute disaster” when it comes to elections — yet she could not provide a single example to support that claim because it’s patently untrue. In fact, Arizona already requires documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. It was nothing more than another baseless attack from a federal government that lies to the American people on a daily basis. If the Trump administration wants to restore trust in our elections, it can start by telling the truth about them.”
Senator Ruben Gallego, who stood in the well of the House on January 6, 2021, when Mr. Trump’s domestic terrorist goons tried to stage a coup and overturn the 2020 election, also issued a press release following Noem’s press conference, writing:
“If the Trump Administration wants to talk election integrity, let’s talk about January 6th. Let’s talk about how the President of the United States called the Governor of Arizona to order him to hand over the election he squarely lost. Let’s talk about the Big Lie and the fact that Donald Trump will discard your vote if it’s not for him.“
“Republicans have 0 legs to stand on.“
“I am willing to work with them on election integrity if they come from a place of good faith. I agree that noncitizens should never be voting in our elections.”
“If the SAVE Act is designed to protect our elections, we must make sure it does not limit the ability for citizens to exercise their right to vote. Americans should not have to pay extra money or drive 4 to 5 hours away to make their voices heard. Many Arizonans do not want the hassle of sending in a photocopy of their ID with each mail-in ballot.
“The right to vote is sacred in this country—and I will not vote for anything that threatens it.
“Do not fall for their frenzy. Do not forget who tried to rob you of your God-given right.
“When I became a Marine, I swore an oath to protect the Constitution. I risked my life in Iraq over and over in defense of our core American values. On January 6th, my commitment was put to the test again. And I won’t stop fighting to defend those rights now.”
Representative Greg Stanton posted on social media:
“Trump and his allies have spent six years trying to cast doubt on the outcome of the 2020 election in Arizona. They’ve turned up nothing.
Today, he dispatched his disgraced DHS Secretary @Sec_Noem to once again push the Big Lie here in Phoenix — this time, using the SAVE Act to advance their dangerous and deeply troubling goal to “nationalize elections.” As usual, Arizona Republicans are enabling it every step of the way.
Trump’s refusal to accept the results of any election that doesn’t go his way is an existential threat to our democracy — and is one of the many reasons voters have lost faith in him.”
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