Transcript: Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Oct. 27, 2024

The pursuing is simply a transcript of an question and reply pinch Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Secretary of nan Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Al Schmidt connected "Face nan Nation pinch Margaret Brennan" that aired connected Oct. 27, 2024.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We move now to nan apical predetermination officials successful 2 battleground states. Arizona, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes joins america from Phoenix, and Secretary of nan Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Al Schmidt joins america from Harrisburg. Welcome, and I admit nan 2 of you having this speech successful a bipartisan manner. You are successful non partisan roles arsenic nan apical predetermination officials successful your states. So very speedy mobility to some of you. Secretary Fontes, first, will you perpetrate to certifying nan predetermination results moreover if nan victor is of nan other governmental party?

SECRETARY OF STATE ADRIAN FONTES: Yes, without question, that's our duty, and I judge each of my colleagues crossed nan state would do nan same?

MARGARET BRENNAN: Secretary Schmidt?

SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH AL SCHMIDT: Absolutely without immoderate hesitation whatsoever.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Now that we've group nan array connected nan very basics here, I want to inquire you astir immoderate of nan caller news. The FBI head said this past week, it is incomprehensible and unacceptable that predetermination workers person to beryllium worried astir their security. But present we are, and we cognize nan Department of Justice, conscionable this past week, did indict individuals for making threats to workers successful some of your states. Secretary Fontes, 1 of my CBS colleagues is reporting Maricopa County is importantly expanding information and utilizing drones, utilizing fencing and different measures. I've publication news organizations opportunity location are going to beryllium snipers connected apical of tabulation centers. First of all, is that true? That seems extraordinary, and is that based connected circumstantial threat intelligence?

SEC. FONTES: Well, first and foremost, nan authority and jurisdiction complete nan circumstantial tabulation centers are wrong nan counties. My agency provides support for each of them, and frankly, we don't get into nan specifics erstwhile it comes to our information and information protocols, peculiarly nan root aliases wave aliases quality of immoderate of nan circumstantial threats. We are successful nan benignant of a condition correct now wherever we're taking immoderate precautions are basal to guarantee not conscionable nan information of nan vote, but of each of our employees, our workers astatine nan polls, astatine our tabulation centers, and of course, keeping first and foremost successful mind nan information and information of our voters.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Can you say, astatine a minimum, whether that's accrued from what you had to do successful 2020?

SEC. FONTES: It's absolutely, wholly different from 2020. In fact, I retrieve successful 2018 our top information threat was a rattlesnake successful nan parking batch astatine nan Pinnacle Peak precinct. So this is simply a radically different group of circumstances that we are dealing with, but we are prepared, and we're going to person a unafraid election.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Secreatary Schmidt, what person you had to do successful nan Commonwealth?

SEC. SCHMIDT: As portion of nan lessons learned from nan acquisition of 2020, nan Shapiro management organized an predetermination threat task unit that I lead made up of federal, authorities and section partners successful rule enforcement and predetermination administration, truthful that if immoderate of nan ugliness returns that we knowledgeable successful 2020. Everyone will beryllium ready. In 2020 it was, arsenic Secretary Fontes said, truthful different than before, and galore of america had to scramble to fig retired erstwhile threats were incoming, wherever do we mention them to, and and each nan remainder of that. Now we person unfastened lines of communication. Everybody is very clear astir what everyone else's responsibilities are, truthful we'll beryllium prepared. Should, again, immoderate of that ugliness return.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Secretary Schmidt, you heard maine talk pinch Senator Vance, nan circumstantial intelligence that nan ODNI and nan FBI revealed connected Friday astir a clone video made by Russia to instrumentality group into believing that ballots were being destroyed successful Bucks County, Pennsylvania. How concerned are you astir what US intelligence has uncovered, and why do you deliberation they're targeting your state?

SEC. SCHMIDT: Well, I'm, I'm very concerned, and it's and it's clear that bad religion overseas actors are seeking to undermine assurance successful our predetermination results, and it's nary astonishment that they've targeted respective of nan alleged battleground states and Pennsylvania. The video that you're referring to from Bucks County, to anyone who has years of acquisition successful predetermination administration, was conspicuously fake. But if you don't, it's truthful easy for group to beryllium benignant of deceived by by others trying to undermine assurance successful our strategy of government. So it's important that that our counties stay vigilant, that our Commonwealth remains vigilant, and our national partners stay vigilant, and to telephone retired immoderate of these benignant of efforts to deceive our voters.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Secretary Fontes different circumstantial informing from US intelligence was immoderate of nan mind hacking, nan lies being sown successful nan minds of imaginable voters. And 1 circumstantial point that US intelligence says Russian power actors are doing, are posting allegations astir nan anticipation of "illegals," undocumented people, voting successful this country. You are a separator state. We person heard a number of Republican officials, including connected this program, effort to reason that this is simply a existent concern. Elon Musk is arguing that and amplifying that, what are you doing successful Arizona to make judge that non-citizens are not voting successful national elections, which is already against nan law?

SEC. FONTES: Well, first and foremost, if and erstwhile thing for illustration that happens, it is perfectly vanishingly rare. No strategy is perfect, and I'll admit that correct disconnected nan top. But nan allegation that this is thing that mightiness move an predetermination aliases is thing overmuch bigger than it is, that's nan delirium that we are dealing with. And unfortunately, we still person candidates, elected officials and folks pinch ample megaphones lying. They are straight lying to nan American public, and they are fundamentally playing nan domiciled of useful idiots. Now we cognize for judge 2 overseas enemies who want to sow distrust successful our democracy. They want america to beryllium losing that civic religion that we person successful 1 different arsenic Americans and dividing america further. Again, nan root for a batch of this accusation and misinformation, I should say, is coming from extracurricular of nan United States. It gets amplified by folks successful America who are helping those folks, and that's conscionable bad, and it's bad for our democracy. It's bad for business, it's bad for nan rule and acquisition and subject and everything else. So what I promote folks to do is extremity being a Russian puppet. Look to nan folks who are really doing nan work, inquire them what's really happening, and spell pinch nan truth, alternatively of amplifying lies from overseas adversaries.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Secretary Schmidt, what are you doing to make judge that non citizens are not capable to ballot which is already against nan law?

SEC. SCHMIDT: Well, Margaret, I was a Republican Election Commissioner successful Philadelphia County for 10 years. And I guarantee you, and I guarantee your viewers, and I guarantee voters that I attraction arsenic overmuch astir predetermination integrity arsenic anyone perchance could. I investigated hundreds of allegations of ballot elector fraud complete that time, whether it progressive double voting aliases allegations of group voting for dormant group aliases non-citizens, and what that investigation showed clip and clip again was really incredibly uncommon it was that it occurred and really easy it is to drawback whenever location are incidents of it. There are safeguards successful nan strategy from bony item to make judge that that elector fraud successful nan fewer instances it does occur, is identified, investigated and responsibly prosecuted.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Secretary Schmidt connected Friday, nan Lancaster County territory lawyer did study incidents of elector registration fraud among a group of astir 2500 ballots. What tin you show america astatine this constituent astir really galore of those ballots were really fraudulent and what happens next? Who's down it?

SEC. SCHMIDT: The region reached retired to america correct away, arsenic soon arsenic they became alert of it for guidance. As acold arsenic we tin see, nan region is is pursuing this investigation responsibly. The region hasn't concluded that investigation, truthful I can't speak to nan number of cases yet. We will beryllium relying connected them to make that determination and beryllium supportive of our region partners. As portion of our commitment, I visited 67 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties to beryllium down pinch them and make judge that if location are further resources, they request further equipment, aliases thing other for illustration that, we supply that to them truthful that we person a free, fair, safe and unafraid predetermination successful 2024 conscionable arsenic we had successful 2020.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And it was notable successful my question and reply pinch Senator Vance that he said he was assured successful Pennsylvania, but erstwhile I asked astir litigation, he raised nan anticipation of non-citizen voting and said they would beryllium unfastened to litigation if that were to happen.

SEC. SCHMIDT: Well, nan bully point astir our judicial system, which is really wherever our disputes should beryllium settled, is it is ever thing of a "put up aliases unopen up" infinitesimal erstwhile it comes to providing existent grounds of existent problems, and that erstwhile group are progressive successful litigation and lawsuits, they person to coming that evidence. And I deliberation that's why, clip and clip again, successful galore dozens of cases, successful 2020 each 1 of those cases upheld that our elections were meticulous and were not susceptible to immoderate benignant of wide elector fraud aliases thing for illustration that.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Secretary Fontes. 95% of each ballots formed successful battleground states will beryllium recorded connected paper; however, President Trump said this connected Joe Rogan's podcast astir a speech he conscionable had pinch Elon Musk.

[JOE ROGAN DONALD TRUMP INTERVIEW SOT]

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: He said to maine that unless you person insubstantial ballots, it tin ne'er beryllium an honorable election. That's a large statement.

JOE ROGAN: It's a large statement.

DONALD TRUMP  10:22  

We should spell to insubstantial ballots. You're done by 9 o'clock successful nan evening. Right now, we person nan blase instrumentality that goes up to heaven. It goes each complete nan spot and down and around, and they opportunity we'll request 2 weeks to fig retired who nan hellhole won nan election.

[END SOT]

MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. Secretary, do you want to group nan grounds straight? And really agelong will it return you successful Arizona to cognize nan results?

SEC. FONTES: Well first, I'm gladsome that Mr. Trump agrees pinch nan information of Arizona's elections, wherever we person 100% insubstantial ballots, and person had truthful successful Arizona for respective decades. Number two, it's going to return america arsenic agelong arsenic it has ever taken us, while we person much voters, and successful galore cases and counties, a batch much voters. The clip that it takes america to process our ballots is based connected doing it correct nan first time, not doing it quickly for news cycles aliases for nan liking of governmental satisfaction. We will person charismatic results successful astir 10 to 13 days. But everybody knows that nan networks and nan newspapers will make their prognostications whenever they spot fresh based connected their math, and that's conscionable nan measurement it works. We're perfectly assured that we're going to person what we request erstwhile we request it, which is erstwhile it happens and it will beryllium accurate.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Secretary Schmidt, really quickly will you cognize nan results successful Pennsylvania?

SEC. SCHMIDT: Pennsylvania is astatine thing of a unsocial disadvantage successful that our counties cannot statesman processing message successful ballot envelopes until 7am connected predetermination morning. Plenty of different states reddish and bluish alike let that process to statesman days, if not weeks, successful advance. But a mates things person changed since 2020. Counties person acquired further instrumentality that assistance pinch nan processing of those ballots and ballot envelopes. They person a batch much acquisition than they had successful 2020. Which is nan first clip immoderate of america encountered successful Pennsylvania, message ballot voting successful a ample scale. And besides nan percent of voters, while it's still wide embraced, nan percent of voters voting by message has decreased since 2020 during that highest COVID environment. So location are respective factors that will, I think, lend to knowing results earlier, moreover though nan rule hasn't changed. But arsenic Secretary font has said, it ever comes down to, and has always, ever travel down to really adjacent an predetermination is earlier you cognize who won and who lost.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Exactly. And arsenic our, Anthony Salvanto, our CBS Elections and Surveys Director, was telling us, this is simply a tight one. So, we will beryllium watching what's happening successful your states very carefully. Thank you for level mounting pinch each of us. We'll beryllium backmost successful a moment.

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• JD Vance