Maricopa County Board of Supervisors calls on GOP officials to end 'sham' audit
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has had enough of the Arizona state Senate's audit of the November presidential election, and all of the baseless conspiracy theories that go along with it.
The Republican-led state Senate hired a firm called Cyber Ninjas to carry out an audit of the 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County in November. Using subpoenas, the state Senate was able to get the ballots, voting machines, and private and public voter information. Former President Donald Trump has been following along from Florida, and on Saturday, released a statement falsely claiming that the "entire database for Maricopa County in Arizona has been DELETED!"
Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican, tweeted that Trump's comment was "unhinged," and he was "literally looking at our voter registration database on my other screen. Right now. We can't indulge these insane lies any longer." On Monday, Richer told CNN's Erin Burnett that Trump's statement left him "exasperated," and was "tantamount to saying the pencil sitting on my desk in front of me doesn't exist."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He's not the only GOP official in Arizona at the breaking point. Four of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisor's five members are Republicans, including its chairman, Jack Sellers, who on Monday accused the state Senate of running a "grift disguised as an audit. This board is done explaining anything to these people who are playing investigator with our constituents' ballots and equipment, paid for with real people's tax dollars. People's ballots and money are not make believe. It's time to be done with this craziness."
Richer wrote a letter rejecting claims that files were deleted, and Sellers said he will "not be responding to any more requests from this sham process. Finish what you call an audit and be ready to defend your report in a court of law. We all look forward to it."
The audit was being conducted at Phoenix's Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, but is now on pause because the venue is being used for high school graduations. Election technology expert Ryan Macias told CNN he's "never seen anything like it," adding that Cyber Ninjas has no "auditing experience" or "election technology experience." By moving the ballots in and out of the Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, "the more likely the chain of custody will be broken and the less likely that the data is reliable," Macias said.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
'Unthinkable tragedy'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Passenger: 'pleasingly off-kilter' ITV crime drama
The Week Recommends There's 'plenty to be feared' in this British murder mystery set in a quiet northern town
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: March 27, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New Jersey first lady exits race to replace Menendez
Speed Read Tammy Murphy dropping out paves the way for Rep. Andy Kim to become the state's next senator
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Russia blames Ukraine for deadly ISIS Moscow attack
Speed Read Putin has ignored the Islamic State's claim of responsibility for the concert hall shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump-RNC pact puts Trump legal bills ahead of GOP
Speed Read The former president has struck a deal with the Republican National Committee to put donations toward his legal bills
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Vietnam president resigns amid scandal
Speed Read Vietnam loses its second president in two years as Vo Van Thuong steps down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas migrant law in limbo after Supreme Court OK
Speed Read The law has been blocked again, mere hours after the Supreme Court allowed the state to arrest migrants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published