Emails from 2025 obtained by American Oversight and reported by VoteBeat show Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap expressing support for a Justice Department review of the county’s elections and arranging a meeting with U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. Heap also emailed Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon backing the inquiry. The reporting raises questions about coordination between local election officials and federal investigators amid unresolved scrutiny of the 2020 results.
Emails Show Maricopa County Recorder Backed DOJ Review, Raising Questions About Local–Federal Coordination
Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap listens during a legislative session on April 17, 2024 in Phoenix.(Rebecca Noble / Getty Images)
Newly released emails from 2025 suggest Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap expressed support for a Justice Department review of the county’s elections and coordinated meetings with federal officials — prompting renewed scrutiny of how local election administrators interact with federal investigators.
What The Records Show
VoteBeat reported Wednesday on correspondence obtained by watchdog group American Oversight that appears to show Heap signaling support for a DOJ review into Maricopa County’s elections, which includes Phoenix and remains a key battleground in national politics. The records indicate Heap’s office arranged a meeting with U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine shortly before the Department of Justice informed county officials it was opening a look-back into past elections.
Messages cited by VoteBeat include an email from Heap’s assistant scheduling the meeting with Courchaine and emails Heap sent to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon expressing backing for the department’s inquiry. In one message, Heap wrote:
“We share your goal of safeguarding election integrity and transparency, and we will continue to work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that no records are lost, compromised, or destroyed.”
When asked for comment, neither Heap nor his office responded to VoteBeat’s requests.
Context And Political Background
During his 2024 campaign, Heap sought to downplay concerns about his stance on the 2020 results; States Newsroom reported that he “won’t say if Arizona’s elections were fair, but he’s voted like an election denier.” His campaign also received support from conservative youth group Turning Point USA. Earlier this year, Heap joined a group of Republican election skeptics at a Feb. 13 Arizona press conference led by then–Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, where participants emphasized ensuring the integrity of voter rolls.
Republican officials have not produced evidence substantiating claims that Arizona’s 2020 elections were compromised. Even a high-profile, GOP-backed review of the 2020 results failed to corroborate widespread fraud allegations.
Why It Matters
The VoteBeat reporting adds to broader questions about the boundaries of federal involvement in state and local election administration and the degree to which partisan actors and local officials may coordinate with federal investigators. Legal experts and election officials say transparency about communications and the timing of meetings is important to preserve public trust in election administration.
Records Source: The emails were obtained by American Oversight and published exclusively by VoteBeat.
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