A member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in Arizona is resigning after leaked audiotapes revealed him criticizing both the integrity of the 2020 election and some of his fellow supervisors for their stances on the highly controversial state-ordered audit of the 2020 election.
Supervisor Steve Chucri said he will resign from his position in November, citing “toxicity” and the impact of leaked recordings published by conservative news outlet The Gateway Pundit.
The leaked audiotapes, recorded in January and in March, make Chucri appear highly critical of what was done in the county, which has been sparring with state-level Republicans for months over an audit of the 2020 election. In general, the county has fought the state’s efforts to obtain machines and data.
Chucri, however, appeared on the tape to be siding with the state Senate against his fellow county officials.
“I don’t feel comfortable with Dominion [Voting Systems],” he said in one snippet, referring to the company whose voting machines were under a cloud during a spate of allegations that followed the 2020 election.
The Gateway Pundit said it obtained audio of a March conversation in which Chucri said opposition to the Arizona state audit was centered around other supervisors’ fears for their margins of victory and referred to the county’s audit of its results as “pretty bull****.”
Chucri was taped in January saying, “I think it was done through dead people voting. I think it was multifaceted,” according to The Gateway Pundit.
He later reportedly threw around the words “ballot harvesting.”
In his resignation statement, he neither confirmed nor denied the specifics of the comments, but acknowledged the damage the leaked recordings have done.
GOP @maricopacounty BOS @Steve_Chucri is resigning effective Nov. 5 due to a conversation disparaging his colleagues was recorded before the #azaudit and leaked to Gateway Pundit. pic.twitter.com/8wldECRLew
— The AZ – abc15 – Data Guru (@Garrett_Archer) September 22, 2021
“In recent days it has come to light that I was secretly recorded in conversations regarding differences with some of my colleagues about an audit of the 2020 election. The comments I made were during a very turbulent time,” he said.
“My colleagues have every right to be both angry and disappointed with me. I should not have made such statements and offer my colleagues heartfelt apologies,” he said.
In his statement, Chucri bemoaned the current state of political incivility.
“Unfortunately, the political landscape changed for the worst this year. The environment is wrought with toxicity — and all civility and decorum no longer seem to have a place. The fixation with the 2020 election results and aftermath have gotten out of control,” he said.
“I do not want to perpetuate the very problem I ran to eliminate several years ago. While I have had my differences with my colleagues, I have known them to be good, honorable and ethical men. The picture some individuals are trying to paint about a cover up, scam and other nonsense about my colleagues and myself is simply false,” he said.
Chucri’s statement then sought to put distance between himself and the leaked audio.
“There was no cover-up, the election was not stolen. [President Joe] Biden won,” he said.
The Western Journal has reached out to Chucri for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.