Attorney general from Trump’s push to find 2020 election fraud dies

PHOENIX (AP) — Mark Brnovich, Arizona’s top law enforcement officer when the state became the epicenter of efforts by President Donald Trump and his allies to find proof that the 2020 election was marred by fraud, has died. He was 59.

Brnovich died after having a heart attack Monday, Katie Conner, a representative of the family, said Tuesday.

Colleagues and friends of Brnovich praised him for his work in public service that included stints as a judge, a prosecutor, lawyer and the director of the Arizona Department of Gaming. Former Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said Brnovich’s passion for the law, justice and victims were hallmarks of his career.

“For those of us blessed to call him a friend, his humor, positivity, and happy warrior spirit were infectious. May he rest in peace,” Ducey said on the social platform X.

Brnovich, a Republican, was in his second term as attorney general in Arizona when his office investigated the 2020 election. Arizona was among the states Joe Biden won that year to deny Trump reelection to the presidency.

Brnovich released an interim report in April 2022 that outlined his concerns with some election procedures but did not provide any proof of major issues despite six months of investigation.

At the time, Brnovich was seeking the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat and facing fierce criticism from Trump, who claimed he wasn’t doing enough to prosecute election fraud. Brnovich wanted an endorsement from Trump but didn’t get it.

When current Attorney General Kris Mayes took office, she revealed that Brnovich suppressed findings from his investigators. Mayes said the records showed the 2020 election “was conducted fairly and accurately by election officials.”

The documents she released also showed Brnovich withheld a separate memo that systematically refuted election conspiracies that took root on the right, including allegations of dead or duplicate voters, pre-marked ballots flown in from Asia, election servers connected to the internet and even manipulation by satellites controlled by the Italian military.

Mayes posted on X that she was saddened to hear of Brnovich’s sudden passing and said he dedicated many years to public service. She offered condolences to his wife Susan and their family.

Brnovich lost the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in 2021. In a video launching his campaign, Brnovich described himself as the son of immigrants who fled communism in Yugoslavia. He said he used his post as attorney general to take on “crony capitalists” and government overreach, while promoting religious liberty, border security and election integrity.

In April, Trump nominated Brnovich to be ambassador to Serbia but withdrew his nomination in October.