Post by the Scribe on Sept 29, 2021 8:16:02 GMT
Arizona attorney general asks Maricopa to preserve 2020 election materials for investigation
www.yahoo.com/news/arizona-attorney-general-asks-maricopa-003400691.html
Jeremy Beaman
Tue, September 28, 2021, 5:34 PM
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked Maricopa County to preserve materials related to the 2020 election for an investigation and possible litigation over how the county administered the contest.
Brnovich's office sent a letter to Maricopa's five county supervisors Tuesday, notifying them of a litigation hold on elections materials. His office's Election Integrity Unit will review the 2020 election audit report commissioned by the Republican-led state Senate that was released on Friday, and his letter said they expect "the review may lead to further investigation or litigation."
The letter directs the county to preserve paper documents, electronic communications, election equipment and data stored on them, voter registration forms, and more. It also said the litigation hold extends to all county employees, contractors, vendors, and anyone "directly or indirectly involved in any aspect" of managing the election.
www.azag.gov/sites/default/files/docs/press-releases/2021/letters/210927_Letter_to_Maricopa_County_re_Litigation_Hold.pdf
ARIZONA OFFICIALS REACT TO MARICOPA COUNTY ELECTION REVIEW RESULTS
www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/arizona-officials-react-to-maricopa-county-election-review-results
“The Arizona Senate’s report that was released on Friday raises some serious questions regarding the 2020 election,” Brnovich, a Republican, said in a statement Tuesday. “Arizonans can be assured our office will conduct a thorough review of the information we receive.”
www.azag.gov/press-release/attorney-general-mark-brnovich-requests-additional-information-2020-general-election
The state Senate's audit report was made public Friday, months after the review was initiated. Its contractors, led by Florida-based firm Cyber Ninjas, had confirmed President Joe Biden's victory over former President Donald Trump with a hand count, but Senate President Karen Fann said audit findings fueled a number of concerns about how the election was administered. She pointed to flaws in the ballot signature verification process for absentee ballots.
www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/arizona-senate-asks-attorney-general-formal-investigation-maricopa-election-audit
She also questioned Maricopa County's "cybersecurity precautions for securing election systems" and said the state should hire a specialist to oversee election machinery for future elections. Additionally, Fann criticized the county by saying it "overwrote the entire activity log in its Election Management System."
Fann requested Brnovich's office to investigate those matters, saying the audit report indicates "less-than-perfect adherence to Arizona's standards and best practices."
In a statement Friday, Brnovich pledged to take "all necessary actions that are supported by the evidence and where I have legal authority" and said his office's election unit would review the report.
www.azag.gov/press-release/attorney-general-mark-brnovich-issues-statement-regarding-arizona-senates-draft
The preservation request reflects the division that the Maricopa audit — and Republicans' doubt about the legitimacy of the 2020 election in general — has caused among the Arizona GOP.
Republicans on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors urged state GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward, a Trump ally who championed the audit, to resign on Friday as the audit report was released.
"She has caused a fracture in our party. She has operated outside of it for the purpose of helping herself," Supervisor Clint Hickman said in an interview with KTAR News on Friday.
Supervisor Bill Gates, another Republican, echoed Hickman's words, saying the party "must choose a new direction rooted in truth & good politics."
"I stand w/ my colleague here calling for @kelliwardaz’s resignation," Gates wrote in a tweet. "The @azgop’s done nothing but push lies about our electoral system, ignore down ballot races, & lose federal & state elections under her leadership."
(Psycho)Ward herself has criticized the majority-Republican county board in the past, saying in January she expected "crappy results" from a county-approved election audit.
www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/arizona-gop-kelli-ward-audit-results-final
www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/maricopa-county-2020-election-audit
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
www.washingtonexaminer.com/
Brnovich's office sent a separate letter to the state Senate on Tuesday, requesting access to unredacted reports and appendices cited in the audit report, as well as evidence gathered by two subcontractors who assessed the use of early voting ballots and cybersecurity.
The letter also requested a meeting with each contractor and subcontractor involved in the audit.
www.yahoo.com/news/arizona-attorney-general-asks-maricopa-003400691.html
Jeremy Beaman
Tue, September 28, 2021, 5:34 PM
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich asked Maricopa County to preserve materials related to the 2020 election for an investigation and possible litigation over how the county administered the contest.
Brnovich's office sent a letter to Maricopa's five county supervisors Tuesday, notifying them of a litigation hold on elections materials. His office's Election Integrity Unit will review the 2020 election audit report commissioned by the Republican-led state Senate that was released on Friday, and his letter said they expect "the review may lead to further investigation or litigation."
The letter directs the county to preserve paper documents, electronic communications, election equipment and data stored on them, voter registration forms, and more. It also said the litigation hold extends to all county employees, contractors, vendors, and anyone "directly or indirectly involved in any aspect" of managing the election.
www.azag.gov/sites/default/files/docs/press-releases/2021/letters/210927_Letter_to_Maricopa_County_re_Litigation_Hold.pdf
ARIZONA OFFICIALS REACT TO MARICOPA COUNTY ELECTION REVIEW RESULTS
www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/arizona-officials-react-to-maricopa-county-election-review-results
“The Arizona Senate’s report that was released on Friday raises some serious questions regarding the 2020 election,” Brnovich, a Republican, said in a statement Tuesday. “Arizonans can be assured our office will conduct a thorough review of the information we receive.”
www.azag.gov/press-release/attorney-general-mark-brnovich-requests-additional-information-2020-general-election
The state Senate's audit report was made public Friday, months after the review was initiated. Its contractors, led by Florida-based firm Cyber Ninjas, had confirmed President Joe Biden's victory over former President Donald Trump with a hand count, but Senate President Karen Fann said audit findings fueled a number of concerns about how the election was administered. She pointed to flaws in the ballot signature verification process for absentee ballots.
www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/arizona-senate-asks-attorney-general-formal-investigation-maricopa-election-audit
She also questioned Maricopa County's "cybersecurity precautions for securing election systems" and said the state should hire a specialist to oversee election machinery for future elections. Additionally, Fann criticized the county by saying it "overwrote the entire activity log in its Election Management System."
Fann requested Brnovich's office to investigate those matters, saying the audit report indicates "less-than-perfect adherence to Arizona's standards and best practices."
In a statement Friday, Brnovich pledged to take "all necessary actions that are supported by the evidence and where I have legal authority" and said his office's election unit would review the report.
www.azag.gov/press-release/attorney-general-mark-brnovich-issues-statement-regarding-arizona-senates-draft
The preservation request reflects the division that the Maricopa audit — and Republicans' doubt about the legitimacy of the 2020 election in general — has caused among the Arizona GOP.
Republicans on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors urged state GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward, a Trump ally who championed the audit, to resign on Friday as the audit report was released.
"She has caused a fracture in our party. She has operated outside of it for the purpose of helping herself," Supervisor Clint Hickman said in an interview with KTAR News on Friday.
Supervisor Bill Gates, another Republican, echoed Hickman's words, saying the party "must choose a new direction rooted in truth & good politics."
"I stand w/ my colleague here calling for @kelliwardaz’s resignation," Gates wrote in a tweet. "The @azgop’s done nothing but push lies about our electoral system, ignore down ballot races, & lose federal & state elections under her leadership."
(Psycho)Ward herself has criticized the majority-Republican county board in the past, saying in January she expected "crappy results" from a county-approved election audit.
www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/arizona-gop-kelli-ward-audit-results-final
www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/maricopa-county-2020-election-audit
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
www.washingtonexaminer.com/
Brnovich's office sent a separate letter to the state Senate on Tuesday, requesting access to unredacted reports and appendices cited in the audit report, as well as evidence gathered by two subcontractors who assessed the use of early voting ballots and cybersecurity.
The letter also requested a meeting with each contractor and subcontractor involved in the audit.