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Warren Petersen

Arizona State Senate President who received an FBI grand jury subpoena for 2020 audit records and subsequently referred the Arizona AG and Secretary of State to the DOJ for alleged obstruction and witness tampering.

FieldDetails
Full NameWarren Petersen
RoleElected Official — Arizona State Senate President (Republican)
DistrictLegislative District 14 (Gilbert / Queen Creek, Arizona)
PartyRepublican
TermSenate President since 2023; in Arizona legislature since 2012
EducationJD, Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
Cases Involved2020 Arizona election investigation; Cyber Ninjas audit records

Overview​

Warren Petersen (born September 8, 1976) is the President of the Arizona State Senate. A third-generation Gilbert resident and ASU Law graduate, he served in the Arizona House of Representatives beginning in 2012, rising through positions including House Majority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, and multiple committee chairmanships before becoming Senate President in 2023. He is a consistent advocate for election integrity reforms and allied with Trump-era election integrity positions.

The Grand Jury Subpoena and DOJ Referral​

FBI Subpoena (March 5, 2026)​

On March 5, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona served Petersen a federal grand jury subpoena, issued by the FBI's Phoenix Field Office Fraud Investigations unit. The subpoena sought virtually all records from the Arizona Senate's 2021 Cyber Ninjas audit of Maricopa County's 2020 presidential election results — including ballot images, voter registration databases, and all audit materials. Petersen retained the law firm Snell & Wilmer, complied with the subpoena, and transferred the records to the FBI.

Letter Warning County Recorders (March 9, 2026)​

Four days after Petersen received the subpoena, Arizona AG Kris Mayes and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes jointly sent a letter to all 15 Arizona county recorders warning them NOT to comply with federal requests for voter data. The letter claimed compliance would "violate both federal and state law" and urged recorders to "decline any such illegal demands." Petersen characterized this as witness tampering — pressure on potential witnesses in an active grand jury investigation not to cooperate with federal investigators. Snell & Wilmer issued a legal opinion concluding that no such prohibitory law exists and that Mayes and Fontes had misstated the law.

AG Letter Requesting Disclosure (March 31, 2026)​

On March 31, 2026, AG Mayes sent a letter to Petersen requesting detailed information about exactly which records the Senate had turned over to the FBI. Petersen characterized this as an attempt to learn what evidence federal investigators now possessed — an inappropriate interference with an ongoing grand jury investigation.

DOJ Referral (April 7, 2026)​

On April 7, 2026, Petersen formally referred both Kris Mayes and Adrian Fontes to the U.S. Department of Justice, alleging obstruction of justice and tampering with a witness. He posted the referral publicly on X (@votewarren), stating: "Today I referred Kris Mayes and Adrian Fontes to the Department of Justice for obstruction of justice and tampering with a witness. It is disturbing to see their resistance to an election integrity investigation." The referral letter was attached as a PDF.

Key Quotes​

"Today I referred Kris Mayes and Adrian Fontes to the Department of Justice for obstruction of justice and tampering with a witness. It is disturbing to see their resistance to an election integrity investigation." — Warren Petersen, X post (@votewarren), April 7, 2026

The Counterargument​

  • AG Mayes characterized Petersen's referral as "laying groundwork to deny the results of the 2026 election if they don't go their way."
  • Mayes described the underlying federal grand jury investigation as an attempt to "weaponize the federal grand jury process" to circumvent court rulings that have repeatedly rejected Trump administration demands related to Arizona's 2020 election.
  • The original Cyber Ninjas audit — which Republicans commissioned and whose records the FBI subpoenaed — ultimately found that Biden's margin in Maricopa County actually increased slightly under hand count.
  • Critics argue the post-2020 reinvestigation is a politically motivated effort re-litigating a settled election outcome.
  • Arizona — State hub for all Arizona 2020 election allegations
  • Kris_Mayes — Arizona AG referred to DOJ alongside Fontes
  • Adrian_Fontes — Arizona Secretary of State referred to DOJ
  • Dominion Voting Systems — Dominion used in Maricopa County; central to the original audit

Other Coverage Worth Reading​

  • Arizona: Full Arizona 2020 overview — Cyber Ninjas audit, USPS backdating, Dominion in Maricopa County.
  • FBI: The FBI Phoenix Field Office issued the grand jury subpoena at the center of this case.
  • 2020 USPS Ballot Backdating: 300,000 Arizona mail-in ballots allegedly backdated by USPS workers — a parallel claim.
  • Sidney Powell: Filed the original "Kraken" Arizona suit; later pleaded guilty to Georgia misdemeanors.

Sources​

Status: Alive

This information was compiled by Claude AI research.