Justice Dept takes an interest in Arizona s bonkers election audit
Arizona Republicans have handed millions of ballots over to Cyber Ninjas, led by a conspiracy theorist. What could go wrong? According to the DOJ, plenty.
BySteve Benen
Arizona Republicans weren t satisfied with the official 2020 vote count. Or the audit of those results. Or the second audit. Or the hand recount. Each of those independent assessments told the GOP what it didn t want to hear, which led Republicans to believe it was time for a new approach.
And so, Arizona Republicans recently launched yet another review, led by an obscure company called Cyber Ninjas with dubious credentials and led by a fringe conspiracy theorist.
OAN obtains letter from DOJ trying to stop Ariz. audit
Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are being examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, who was hired by the Arizona State Senate at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Thursday, April 29, 2021. (Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic via AP, Pool)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:43 AM PT – Thursday, May 6, 2021
There’s breaking news out of Maricopa County, Arizona where Biden administration officials are attempting to insert themselves into the ongoing ballot audit despite lacking the authority to do so.
The Arizona election audit is no stranger to opposition and May 5 proved no exception. The civil rights division of the Department of Justice sent a letter to Arizona Senate President Karen Fann expressing concerns over the review.
Arizona’s top elections officer Katie Hobbs on Wednesday
alleged multiple points of concern regarding the forensic audit of the 2020 presidential election currently underway in Maricopa County.
In a letter (pdf) to former Secretary of State Ken Bennett, a Republican who is the state Senate’s liaison for the audit, Hobbs outlined 13 points of concern over how the audit is being run. This included seven points of concern over counting procedures that the state Senate and audit contractor Cyber Ninjas disclosed, as well as six points of concern over what her observers saw at the audit site.
Under terms of a lawsuit settlement filed on Wednesday, defendants Bennett, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, and the lead auditor, Florida-based Cyber Ninjas have 48 hours to respond to Hobbs’ concerns. If the concerns are not addressed, Hobbs could take them back to court for breach of contract.
Arizona Elections Chief Alleges Problems in Maricopa County Audit of 2020 Election
Arizona’s top elections officer Katie Hobbs on Wednesday alleged multiple points of concern regarding the forensic audit of the 2020 presidential election currently underway in Maricopa County.
In a letter (pdf) to former Secretary of State Ken Bennett, a Republican who is the state Senate’s liaison for the audit, Hobbs outlined 13 points of concern over how the audit is being run. This included seven points of concern over counting procedures that the state Senate and audit contractor Cyber Ninjas disclosed, as well as six points of concern over what her observers saw at the audit site.