{"id":2641440,"date":"2026-08-06T15:04:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T19:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2020-election-investigation-circles-back-on-maricopa-county-arizona\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T15:08:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T19:08:00","slug":"2020-election-investigation-circles-back-on-maricopa-county-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/2020-election-investigation-circles-back-on-maricopa-county-arizona\/","title":{"rendered":"2020 election investigation circles back on Maricopa County, Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F2020-election-investigation-circles-back-on-maricopa-county-arizona%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2641440&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A hacker exploited a vulnerability in a Maricopa County,Arizona,website shortly before the 2020 election,obtaining over 600,000 voter registration files. The FBI identified the hacker, who admitted to using a script to exploit the system, but no charges were filed, and the investigation was closed in 2023. The incident involved the extraction of voter data, including sensitive data of victims and officials, but did not impact vote counts or election outcomes.the breach was traced back to a college student who discovered the vulnerability and used a PowerShell script, believing he accessed up to 2 million files before the county fixed the security flaw. Despite FBI efforts, prosecutors declined to pursue charges. The release of these declassified records by the White House highlights ongoing scrutiny of election security issues, especially in Maricopa County, which was a focal point of post-election disputes and audits.The documents also reveal that the FBI had been tracking the intrusion from early November 2020, emphasizing that the breach was focused on voter registration data rather than ballots or vote tabulation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A hacker exploited a vulnerability in a Maricopa County, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/arizona\/\">Arizona<\/a>, website and obtained more than 600,000 voter registration files shortly before the 2020 election, according to newly declassified <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fbi\/\">FBI<\/a> and intelligence community records released Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FBI eventually identified the alleged <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hacking\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"918\">hacker<\/a>, searched his Arizona home, and obtained an admission that he had written a computer script to exploit the vulnerability, the records show. But federal, state, and local prosecutors declined to bring charges, and the FBI ultimately closed the investigation in 2023.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4677715\/solomon-2020-election-investigation-maricopa-county-arizona\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Solomon investigation into 2020 once again circles back on Maricopa County, Arizona<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4677148\/judge-texas-law-silencers-short-barreled-guns\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Federal judge muzzles mafia-era law restricting suppressors and some firearms<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4676522\/doj-puts-25-million-bounty-on-us-born-cartel-leader\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ puts $25 million bounty on US-born cartel leader<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The documents were released by the White House Government Transparency Task Force as part of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\">Trump administration\u2019s<\/a> examination of election security surrounding the 2020 contest. John Solomon, founder and editor-in-chief of <em>Just the News<\/em>, who also serves as a special government employee, previewed the records Thursday morning and has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4657694\/john-solomon-special-government-employee-ethics-scrutiny\/\">played a prominent role <\/a>in recent administration releases of declassified material related to the election and investigations of President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest disclosure brings that scrutiny back to Maricopa County, which became a focal point of disputes over the 2020 election after <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Joe Biden<\/a> narrowly carried Arizona, and even became the site of a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2874749\/dominion-voting-systems-calls-maricopa-election-audit-an-irresponsible-act\/\">full-scale audit<\/a> of the county\u2019s vote, commissioned by the then-Republican state Senate president Karen Fann.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">FILE \u2013 Some of the 2.1 million ballots cast during the 2020 election are brought in for recounting at an election ballot audit ordered by the Republican lead Arizona Senate at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, during a news conference, April 22, 2021, in Phoenix. The Arizona Supreme Court has reversed lower court rulings Thursday, May 2, 2024, that held the Arizona Republican Party responsible for more than $27,000 in sanctions and Secretary of State office attorney fees spent defending Maricopa County election procedures following the 2020 election. (AP Photo\/Ross D. Franklin, File)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/AP24125008367516.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Some of the 2.1 million ballots cast during the 2020 election are brought in for recounting at an election ballot audit ordered by the Republican-led Arizona Senate at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum during a news conference on April 22, 2021, in Phoenix. (Ross D. Franklin\/AP Photo, file)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The incident highlighted in the declassified materials, however, concerns the security of voter registration information rather than ballots or vote tabulation. The documents provide no evidence that votes were changed or that the breach affected the outcome of the election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to an FBI summary, the Maricopa County Recorder\u2019s Office submitted a tip through the Arizona Counterterrorism Intelligence Center on Nov. 2, 2020, reporting an \u201cattempt to scrape voter registration information.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">An FBI document dated Nov. 3, 2020, details the opening of a cyber intrusion investigation after roughly 633,000 voter registration records were extracted from a Maricopa County, Arizona, website in the weeks leading up to the presidential election. (FBI)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/Screenshot-2026-08-06-at-12.01.15-PM.png?w=696&#8243; height=&#8221;1024&#8243; width=&#8221;826&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An FBI document dated Nov. 3, 2020, details the opening of a cyber intrusion investigation after roughly 633,000 voter registration records were extracted from a Maricopa County, Arizona, website in the weeks leading up to the presidential election. (FBI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Investigators determined that an intruder used a PowerShell script to exploit a weakness in the county\u2019s website, extracting more than 633,000 voter records between Oct. 21 and Nov. 2, 2020.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FBI determined that 930 of the files contained sensitive information involving domestic violence victims, judges, and law enforcement officers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The incident appeared repeatedly in intelligence community cyber logs tracking threats surrounding the election. By 7:15 a.m. on Election Day, intelligence officials knew the intrusion had resulted in the extraction of some nonpublic information, according to the records.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That finding provides additional detail beyond what Maricopa County has said publicly about the incident. The county has maintained that the intruder accessed its public-facing website and obtained \u201cpublicly available information,\u201d emphasizing that the website was separate from the air-gapped system used to tabulate ballots. The newly released FBI records, however, state that the intrusion resulted in the extraction of some nonpublic voter information.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>contacted a spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Elections Department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FBI investigators traced the activity to a home in Fountain Hills, Arizona, and interviewed the suspect days after the election.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The man described himself as a \u201chacker or tinkerer\u201d and said he discovered the vulnerability in September 2020 after noticing his voter identification number appeared in a website URL, according to an FBI interview report. The report also notes the alleged hacker was a college student, but redacted the school\u2019s name, and mentioned that his \u201chacking activity\u201d at one point led to a \u201cmeeting with the dean\u201d of the college.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">An FBI interview report dated Nov. 5, 2020, shows the suspect in the Maricopa County cyber intrusion describing himself to agents as a \u201chacker or tinkerer\u201d who searched for computer vulnerabilities as a hobby. (FBI)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/Screenshot-2026-08-06-at-12.05.35-PM.png?w=696&#8243; height=&#8221;602&#8243; width=&#8221;1024&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An FBI interview report dated Nov. 5, 2020, shows the suspect in the Maricopa County cyber intrusion describing himself to agents as a \u201chacker or tinkerer\u201d who searched for computer vulnerabilities as a hobby. (FBI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He experimented with other seven-digit numbers and discovered he could access other people\u2019s voter registration information. He then wrote a PowerShell script to automate the process, running it until Nov. 2, when Maricopa County detected the activity and fixed its firewall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The suspect estimated he obtained between 1 million and 2 million voter files, although investigators documented roughly 633,000.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He told agents he eventually \u201crealized the gravity of the situation and became scared\u201d because he expected a visit from law enforcement. According to the FBI, he deleted files from Google Cloud and scrubbed his hard drives.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An FBI interview report states the Maricopa County hacking suspect estimated he extracted between 1 million and 2 million voter registration records before the county fixed its firewall, telling agents he eventually realized the \u201cgravity of the situation\u201d and became scared. (FBI)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Agents executed a search warrant at his home the same day they interviewed him, seizing eight hard drives, three computers, and a bag containing USB drives, according to reports at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the investigative work, no prosecution followed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FBI Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kash-patel\/\">Kash Patel<\/a> told the White House task force in a letter released Thursday that the bureau devoted \u201csignificant resources\u201d to the case but could not secure charges from any of four prosecutorial offices that reviewed the matter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office in Arizona declined prosecution on July 12, 2021, during the Biden administration, according to the FBI. The Arizona Attorney General\u2019s Office, Maricopa County Attorney\u2019s Office, and Pinal County Attorney\u2019s Office also declined to prosecute, although the records do not specify when those decisions were made or detail each office\u2019s reasoning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With prosecutors declining to pursue the case, investigators requested that the FBI close it in May 2023, nearly three years after the intrusion was first detected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4676005\/oxferd-comma-investigation-declassified-john-solomon-briefing\/\">\u2018OXFERD COMMA\u2019 INVESTIGATION BEING CLASSIFIED BY WHITE HOUSE, WITH JOHN SOLOMON BRIEFING<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maricopa County became a national flashpoint in the days after the 2020 election, when several hundred Trump supporters \u2014 some of them armed \u2014 gathered outside its vote-counting center as ballots were still being tabulated, chanting \u201cCount those votes!\u201d and protesting amid the razor-thin contest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the latest tranche of declassified materials serves as another example of election irregularities to the Trump administration\u2019s broader examination of vulnerabilities surrounding the 2020 election. The administration last month released intelligence showing that foreign governments, including China, obtained large quantities of U.S. voter registration information in addition to identifying <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/election-integrity\/\">nearly 278,000 noncitizens<\/a> registered to vote in federal elections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FBI links hacker to Maricopa voter data breach before 2020 election<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2641441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20310143296127.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32675,4472,32523],"class_list":["post-2641440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-2020-election","tag-arizona","tag-maricopa-county"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20310143296127.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2641440"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2641443,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2641440\/revisions\/2641443"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2641441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2641440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2641440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2641440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}