GOP-backed Arizona audit shows Biden beat Trump

The $6million, Republican-backed review of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona’s largest county officially ended Friday and found no proof that the Arizona election was stolen from Donald Trump. 

The hand count shows Trump received 45,469 fewer votes than Biden. The county results showed he lost by 45,109. 

Maricopa County Board Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican, called Friday’s hearing ‘irresponsible and dangerous.’ 

Despite Trump’s Thursday promise of ‘huge findings’ and vindication, the six-month search for evidence of fraud found Biden won by 360 more votes than the official results that were certified last year. 

Cyber Ninjas, the Senate’s lead contractor who compiled the forensic report, said in its 100-plus page report that there were ‘no substantial differences’ between the group’s hand count of ballots and the official count. 

The report also made a series of other disputed claims the auditors say should cast doubt on the accuracy and warrant more investigation. 

The Republican-backed review of the 2020 presidential election Arizona's largest county officially ended Friday and found no proof that the Arizona election was stolen from Donald Trump

The Republican-backed review of the 2020 presidential election Arizona’s largest county officially ended Friday and found no proof that the Arizona election was stolen from Donald Trump

Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan, center, is flanked by Ben Cotton, left, founder of digital security firm CyFIR, and Randy Pullen, right, the former Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, prior to the Arizona Senate Republicans hearing review of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County at the Arizona Capitol on Friday

Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan, center, is flanked by Ben Cotton, left, founder of digital security firm CyFIR, and Randy Pullen, right, the former Chairman of the Arizona Republican Party, prior to the Arizona Senate Republicans hearing review of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County at the Arizona Capitol on Friday

The results tally announced during the Arizona Senate Republicans hearing by Cyber Ninjas findings of the Arizona 2020 election review at the Arizona Capitol, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Phoenix

The results tally announced during the Arizona Senate Republicans hearing by Cyber Ninjas findings of the Arizona 2020 election review at the Arizona Capitol, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Phoenix

‘The Cyber Ninjas’ opinions come from a misuse and misunderstanding of the data provided by the county and are twisted to fit the narrative that something went wrong,’ Sellers said in a statement. 

‘Once again, these “auditors” threw out wild, damaging, false claims in the middle of their audit and Senate leadership provided them the platform to present their opinions, suspicions, and faulty conclusions unquestioned and unchallenged. 

‘Today these “auditors” falsely and recklessly accused Maricopa County of potential crimes and Senate leadership amplified those lies.’ 

The Maricopa County Twitter account live-tweeted the Friday press conference on the results of the Arizona audit and fact-checked Cyber Ninjas’ claims.   

 

A few of Maricopa County's tweets from Friday's press conference on the results of the Arizona audit and fact-checking some of Cyber Ninjas' claims

A few of Maricopa County’s tweets from Friday’s press conference on the results of the Arizona audit and fact-checking some of Cyber Ninjas’ claims

The finding was an embarrassing end to a widely criticized, and at times bizarre, quest to prove allegations that election officials and courts have rejected. It has no bearing on the final, certified results. 

 The report shuts down Trump’s unsubstantiated fraud claims after he claimed tabulating machines had miscounted paper ballots across several states or had been hacked.

Trump initially lost Arizona by about 10,000 votes. He and his allies alleged that fraud cost him the state.

Arizona Senate Republicans used their subpoena power to access ballots, counting machines and electronic data in Maricopa County, home to about 60 percent of Arizona’s voters, for an audit.

However, the recount was criticized as chaotic: auditors searching for watermarks were told by state election officials the ballots were not watermarked; reports suggested they were also looking for traces of bamboo as evidence the papers were smuggled in from Asia.

Arizona’s ballot review began in April over the Republican-led county leadership’s objections.

Republican State Senate President Karen Fann led the campaign and publicly stated that the goal was not to revisit Biden’s win, but to look for ways to improve the state’s election laws.

Lawmakers subpoenaed a copy of Maricopa County’s ballots and voting machines, which were handed over to private contractors, according to the Washington Post.

In May, all seven of Maricopa’s elected officials, including five Republicans, called the review a ‘con’ and demanded the Senate end the review.   

Maricopa County’s official vote count was conducted in front of bipartisan observers, as were legally required audits meant to ensure voting machines work properly. A partial hand-count spot check found a perfect match.

Maricopa County Board Chairman Jack Sellers called Friday's hearing 'irresponsible and dangerous.' This is Sellers' full statement

Maricopa County Board Chairman Jack Sellers called Friday’s hearing ‘irresponsible and dangerous.’ This is Sellers’ full statement

Two extra post-election reviews by federally certified election experts also found no evidence that voting machines switched votes or were connected to the internet. The county Board of Supervisors commissioned the extraordinary reviews in an effort to prove to Trump backers that there were no problems. 

Doug Logan, the CEO of Cyber Ninjas, oversaw the audit despite the company having no experience working elections. Forbes revealed that Logan has spread outrageous conspiracy theories that a company tied to Hugo Chavez, the long-dead Venezuelan dictator, rigged voting machines against Trump

Election experts are advising Arizona’s recount serve as a warning sign to other Republican legislators who have agreed to recount their ballots, the Washington Post reported.

Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Texas have all agreed to review their own 2020 election after responding to pressure from Trump.

‘Every time Trump and his supporters have been given a forum to make their case, they have swung and missed,” said Ben Ginsberg, a Republican election lawyer who has criticized Trump’s fraud claims.  

source: dailymail.co.uk