{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-secretary-fontes-tells-cisa-i-dont-trust-you-during-election-security-ca","slug":"arizona-secretary-fontes-tells-cisa-i-dont-trust-you-during-election-security-ca","url":"https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-secretary-fontes-tells-cisa-i-dont-trust-you-during-election-security-ca","title":"Arizona Secretary Fontes tells CISA: 'I don’t trust you' during election security call","subtitle":"Democratic state officials criticise Trump administration’s election support as 2026 midterms approach","excerpt":"Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes confronted federal officials during a Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency call, accusing the Trump administration of abandoning election security duties. Democratic states have sued over threatened FEMA funding cuts, while the Justice Department prepares 1,000 election monitors.","category":"Politics","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T22:25:29.841Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-08-17T21:39:48.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-17T22:25:29.841Z","readTime":"5 min read","scores":{"trust":35,"critic":85,"hype":32,"notes":{"trust":"Only named participants and a $1 billion figure provide some sourcing; central claim relies on anonymous participant.","critic":"Provides background, specific names and figures, and outlines next steps, keeping facts separate from commentary.","hype":"Headlines emphasize conflict and funding threats, but article body remains measured."}},"tags":["#USMidterms2026","#ElectionSecurity","#TrumpAdministration","#CISA","#FEMAFunding"],"entities":["Adrian Fontes","Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency","Department of Homeland Security","Donald Trump","Justice Department"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes told CISA officials during a security call that he did not trust them, citing threats to election workers from the Trump administration.","Acting CISA Director Nick Andersen and assistant director Jim Harrell offered no concrete support for the 2026 election, focusing instead on 2028, according to participants.","The Department of Homeland Security has threatened to withhold $1 billion in FEMA funding from states that refuse Trump administration election rule changes, prompting a lawsuit from Democratic states.","The Justice Department plans to deploy 1,000 monitors to observe voting in the 2026 midterms, as reported by Bloomberg."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes accused the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of abandoning its election security duties during a call with state officials on 17 August 2026. Fontes, a Democrat, told CISA officials he did not trust them, citing threats from the Trump administration against election workers. The call, hosted by CISA, was intended to address election security ahead of the November midterms."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Participants said acting CISA Director Nick Andersen and assistant director Jim Harrell offered no concrete support for the 2026 election, which is fewer than 90 days away. Instead, they focused on preparations for the 2028 presidential election. Fontes and Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, also a Democrat, said the federal government had left states to manage election security alone. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs called the call a \"positive step\" but urged further trust-building."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The Department of Homeland Security has threatened to withhold $1 billion in FEMA funding from states that do not adopt Trump administration election rule changes. A coalition of Democratic states and officials has sued the department over the move. Separately, the Justice Department plans to deploy 1,000 monitors to observe voting in the 2026 midterms, as reported by Bloomberg."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"No right-rated outlet ran this story at all. None of the digests or reports mentioned the specific election rule changes the Trump administration is demanding in exchange for FEMA funding. The cost of the Justice Department’s election monitoring deployment was also not reported by any outlet."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"New Jersey Monitor","url":"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/08/17/trump-election-security","headline":"Tensions boil over on Trump administration’s election security call","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T22:08:20.000Z"},{"sourceName":"washingtonstatestandard.com","url":"https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/08/17/tensions-reach-boiling-point-on-election-security-call-between-feds-and-state-leaders","headline":"Tensions reach boiling point on election security call for state leaders","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T21:39:48.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Raw Story","url":"https://rawstory.com/trump-dhs-2677717478","headline":"Trump admin's $1 billion election ultimatum immediately sparks new legal war","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T20:58:56.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Political Wire","url":"https://politicalwire.com/2026/08/17/trump-administration-readies-1000-election-monitors","headline":"Trump Administration Readies 1,000 Election Monitors","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T16:51:15.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Phoenix New Times","url":"https://phoenixnewtimes.com/news/fontes-tells-trumps-election-security-agency-i-dont-trust-you-40691286","headline":"Fontes tells Trump's election security agency: 'I don't trust you'","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T15:01:34.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Alternet","url":"https://alternet.org/trump-election-security-call","headline":"‘Don’t trust you’: Fury reaches boiling point on call hosted by Trump admin","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T12:24:53.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Votebeat","url":"https://votebeat.org/national/2026/08/17/trump-cisa-election-security-call-fontes-cybersecurity","headline":"‘I don’t trust you’: Trump administration election security call gets testy as Democratic state officials push back on federal pressure.","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T11:00:00.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":71,"centre":29,"right":0},"count":{"left":5,"centre":2,"right":0},"totalSources":7,"untracked":0,"rated":7,"observedAt":"2026-08-17T23:30:24.007675+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-08-18T00:00:12.780Z","closedAt":null,"checks":7,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["The left-rated reports led on the confrontation between Fontes and CISA officials. The Phoenix New Times and Alternet digests both highlighted Fontes’s statement, \"I don’t trust you,\" and his criticism of the Trump administration’s threats to election workers. The Washington State Standard digest also focused on the call’s tensions, while Raw Story led on the legal challenge to the DHS’s threatened withholding of FEMA funding.","The Phoenix New Times full report quoted Fontes directly: \"They don’t work with us, they work against us.\" It also included comments from Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, who said states were \"almost entirely on their own\" for election security. The report described CISA’s briefing as a \"generic 'CYA' (cover your a**) briefing\" that offered few assurances of support."],"centre":["The centre-rated reports carried the same core facts but led on different angles. Votebeat’s full report, republished by the Phoenix New Times, focused on the call’s tensions and Fontes’s criticism of CISA. It quoted Fontes’s statement, \"I don’t trust you,\" and included his accusation that the administration had \"abandoned their duties and threatened prosecution.\"","Political Wire’s digest led on the Justice Department’s plan to deploy 1,000 election monitors, citing Bloomberg. It did not mention the CISA call or the FEMA funding dispute."],"right":[],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"right","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"high":6,"unknown":1},"ownershipDistribution":{"mediaConglomerate":1,"independent":4},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"Votebeat","url":"https://votebeat.org/national/2026/08/17/trump-cisa-election-security-call-fontes-cybersecurity","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T11:00:00.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States","count":1},{"country":"Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States","count":1},{"country":"New York, New York, United States","count":1},{"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"Votebeat","url":"https://votebeat.org/national/2026/08/17/trump-cisa-election-security-call-fontes-cybersecurity","headline":"‘I don’t trust you’: Trump administration election security call gets testy as Democratic state officials push back on federal pressure.","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T11:00:00.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Alternet","url":"https://alternet.org/trump-election-security-call","headline":"‘Don’t trust you’: Fury reaches boiling point on call hosted by Trump admin","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T12:24:53.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"left","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Phoenix New Times","url":"https://phoenixnewtimes.com/news/fontes-tells-trumps-election-security-agency-i-dont-trust-you-40691286","headline":"Fontes tells Trump's election security agency: 'I don't trust you'","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T15:01:34.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Political Wire","url":"https://politicalwire.com/2026/08/17/trump-administration-readies-1000-election-monitors","headline":"Trump Administration Readies 1,000 Election Monitors","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T16:51:15.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New York, New York, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Raw Story","url":"https://rawstory.com/trump-dhs-2677717478","headline":"Trump admin's $1 billion election ultimatum immediately sparks new legal war","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T20:58:56.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"left","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"washingtonstatestandard.com","url":"https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/08/17/tensions-reach-boiling-point-on-election-security-call-between-feds-and-state-leaders","headline":"Tensions reach boiling point on election security call for state leaders","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T21:39:48.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"left","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"New Jersey Monitor","url":"https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/08/17/trump-election-security","headline":"Tensions boil over on Trump administration’s election security call","publishedAt":"2026-08-17T22:08:20.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null}]},"assessment":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Arizona Secretary Fontes tells CISA: 'I don’t trust you' during election security call\", https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-secretary-fontes-tells-cisa-i-dont-trust-you-during-election-security-ca","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-secretary-fontes-tells-cisa-i-dont-trust-you-during-election-security-ca","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-secretary-fontes-tells-cisa-i-dont-trust-you-during-election-security-ca","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/arizona-secretary-fontes-tells-cisa-i-dont-trust-you-during-election-security-ca","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-secretary-fontes-tells-cisa-i-dont-trust-you-during-election-security-ca.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}