--- title: "Arizona Secretary Fontes tells CISA: 'I don’t trust you' during election security call" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-secretary-fontes-tells-cisa-i-dont-trust-you-during-election-security-ca" api: "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" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/arizona-secretary-fontes-tells-cisa-i-dont-trust-you-during-election-security-ca" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-17T22:25:29.841Z" source_reported: "2026-08-17T21:39:48.000Z" updated: "2026-08-17T22:25:29.841Z" trust_score: 35 critic_score: 85 hype_score: 32 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-17T23:30:24.007675+00:00" --- # Arizona Secretary Fontes tells CISA: 'I don’t trust you' during election security call *Democratic state officials criticise Trump administration’s election support as 2026 midterms approach* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 35 of 100, higher is better. Only named participants and a $1 billion figure provide some sourcing; central claim relies on anonymous participant. - Craft 85 of 100, higher is better. Provides background, specific names and figures, and outlines next steps, keeping facts separate from commentary. - Hype 32 of 100, lower is better. Headlines emphasize conflict and funding threats, but article body remains measured. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - 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. 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. 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. 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. ## What the coverage left out 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. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 71% (5) - Centre: 29% (2) - Right: 0% (0) 0 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-17T23:30:24.007675+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-18T00:00:12.780Z. ## How the sides framed it ### 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 No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - high: 6 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [New Jersey Monitor](https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/08/17/trump-election-security) — Tensions boil over on Trump administration’s election security call - [washingtonstatestandard.com](https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2026/08/17/tensions-reach-boiling-point-on-election-security-call-between-feds-and-state-leaders) — Tensions reach boiling point on election security call for state leaders - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/trump-dhs-2677717478) — Trump admin's $1 billion election ultimatum immediately sparks new legal war - [Political Wire](https://politicalwire.com/2026/08/17/trump-administration-readies-1000-election-monitors) — Trump Administration Readies 1,000 Election Monitors - [Phoenix New Times](https://phoenixnewtimes.com/news/fontes-tells-trumps-election-security-agency-i-dont-trust-you-40691286) — Fontes tells Trump's election security agency: 'I don't trust you' - [Alternet](https://alternet.org/trump-election-security-call) — ‘Don’t trust you’: Fury reaches boiling point on call hosted by Trump admin - [Votebeat](https://votebeat.org/national/2026/08/17/trump-cisa-election-security-call-fontes-cybersecurity) — ‘I don’t trust you’: Trump administration election security call gets testy as Democratic state officials push back on federal pressure. ## Questions **What did Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes say to CISA officials?** Fontes told CISA officials, "I don’t trust you," during a 17 August 2026 election security call. He accused the Trump administration of threatening election workers and abandoning its duties, as reported by the Phoenix New Times and Votebeat. **Why are Democratic states suing the Department of Homeland Security?** Democratic states have sued the Department of Homeland Security over its threat to withhold $1 billion in FEMA funding from states that refuse to adopt Trump administration election rule changes. The lawsuit was filed by the Brennan Center, as reported by Raw Story. **How many election monitors will the Justice Department deploy in 2026?** The Justice Department plans to deploy 1,000 monitors to observe voting in the 2026 midterm elections, according to a report by Bloomberg carried by Political Wire. No outlet reported the cost of the deployment. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/arizona-secretary-fontes-tells-cisa-i-dont-trust-you-during-election-security-ca. Please cite as: 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