WILD PHONE CALL: Maricopa County Official Talks to O’Keefe About Leaking Letter to Washington Post

“If you were to send a poll worker a hidden camera to record audiovisual in a voting location, you might be guilty of conspiracy to violate Arizona law,” warned Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell in a letter that was leaked to The Washington Post prior to James O’Keefe’s knowledge of its contents. Contrary to the implications made by Mitchell, O'Keefe Media Group has upheld transparency regarding its commitment to refrain from sending hidden cameras to Arizona for legal purposes regarding voter privacy, raising questions about the communication practices within the county.

In a recent phone call exchange, O'Keefe questioned Jeanine L’Ecuyer, the Maricopa County Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning and Communication, about her office's potential involvement in the leak. During the discussion, O'Keefe pointed out L’Ecuyer’s connections to The Washington Post reporter Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, to which L’Ecuyer described Sanchez as a “professional acquaintance.”

When O'Keefe expressed his concerns over how the Washington Post could have known to obtain the letter prior to his receival of it, L’Ecuyer responded, “There are many other people in government who could have... been aware that the letter was in process.” When he noted that if several of her staff in-office knew about the letter, she would be implying a leak, she remarked, “That’s faulty logic.”

O'Keefe emphasized the significance of transparency in government communication, stating, “You’re part of the government, right? You’re working hand in hand with legacy media outlets to target journalists,” furthering, “It’s a fight of good versus evil, truth versus fiction.” L’Ecuyer maintained, “I have no idea how they became aware,” in an attempt to further distance herself from involvement.