In just a few short years, former Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has gone from Donald Trump’s loyal supporter to his potential foil.
CNN reported on Tuesday that Ducey is cooperating with federal investigators probing Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona. NBC News later confirmed the report.
NBC News confirms: Ex-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has been cooperating with the Special Counsel's investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 19, 2023
Reminder: Trump called Ducey after he certified Biden's 2020 election win in the state. @NBCNews
A spokesman for Ducey told CNN that the former governor has been “responsive” to special counsel Jack Smith’s team and “will do the right thing.”
The news follows a July 1 report from The Washington Post outlining allegations that Trump tried to pressure Ducey to find evidence of fraudulent votes in order to declare Trump the true winner. The Post report cited a GOP donor who alleged Ducey told him earlier this year that he was surprised Smith’s team had not inquired about phone calls he had with Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence in 2020 concerning the election.
Ducey needn’t wait by the phone any longer. He appears to be in the mix now, which could spell more legal danger for Trump. Although he was largely loyal to Trump during his time as governor and vigorously supported Trump’s 2020 re-election bid, Ducey fell out of favor with the MAGA leader and his supporters after certifying Joe Biden’s election victory in the state.
Trump repeatedly bashed Ducey on social media for his reluctance to aid in his alleged election scheme.
And in this memorable video clip from late November 2020, Ducey refused to answer a call he received as he was certifying Biden’s election win. The ringtone was “Hail to the Chief,” the tune Ducey set to alert him when he received calls from the White House.
FLASHBACK: On Nov. 30, 2020, Gov. Ducey’s phone rang while he was certifying the election and played the ringtone "Hail to The Chief" — a ringtone he set to identify when Trump called. Ducey ignored the call. pic.twitter.com/SO4L7CT0d7
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) July 1, 2023
At the time, Ducey confirmed it was Trump who had called, but he claimed Trump hadn’t pressured him to overturn the results.
However, more details of Team Trump’s pressure campaign on Arizona officials have emerged since then — potentially giving Ducey added incentive to share what he knows. Former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, a Republican, told the House Jan. 6 committee last year that Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani called Bowers after the 2020 election baselessly alleging fraud.
Bowers said this month that he’s spoken to the FBI about Trump’s pressure campaign in Arizona. Federal investigators have also probed the so-called fake electors scheme in the state, NBC News reported. (Arizona’s attorney general is investigating the scheme as well.)
Needless to say, the feds are bearing down on Arizona in their 2020 election interference probe. Ducey has been largely silent so far. But he has a story to tell, and Smith wants to hear it.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.