Robert Anglen and Ryan Randazzo
Arizona Republic
Arizona’s fake electors and the Arizona Senate’s hand recount of 2.1 million Maricopa County ballots are under investigation by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Investigators are looking at a range of Republican-led efforts to overturn results of the 2020 election, including the so-called “audit,” which was the only privately run recount of ballots in America, The Arizona Republic has learned.
[RELATED] Pima County addresses election transparency, skepticism as 2024 vote approaches
The state was a nexus of coordinated attempts to challenge 2020 election results, with events here serving as a template for several swing states where former President Donald Trump lost. Arizona saw a campaign by Trump’s legal team to pressure state lawmakers not to certify results; two slates of fake electors certifying that Trump carried the state; and the “audit,” which sowed doubts in the voting process.
The “audit,” led by Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan, was managed, financed and organized by allies of Trump. It so far has cost Arizona taxpayers more than $5 million without delivering any definitive results.
Logan was involved in a partisan plot to overturn the 2020 election when then-Senate President Karen Fann hired him, documents obtained through a public records lawsuit by The Republic show.
Logan’s own text messages show he was unable to quantify the results of his hand count, and privately admitted that he couldn’t make sense of the vote tallies that hundreds of volunteers spent two months recording at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Attorney General’s Office confirmed Tuesday it had launched a criminal investigation into GOP efforts, but spokesperson Richie Taylor said he could not discuss the scope of the inquiry or any specific details.
He said he could not answer questions about the “audit,” Logan or Cyber Ninjas.
Logan did not respond to an interview request.
More:
