The consequences of Donald Trump’s big lie continue in Arizona more than five months after the ex-president was beaten by his 2020 election opponent by over seven million votes. Cyber Ninjas, a tech company with no prior experience in election audits, are recounting the votes in Arizona despite two prior recounts confirming what everyone already knows: Joe Biden flipped the traditionally red state blue.
BREAKING Maricopa County Judge Daniel Martin rejects Cyber Ninjas motion to hide policies & procedures from public and media. Expects immediate appeal of ruling. pic.twitter.com/X0qpEYWbwM
— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) April 28, 2021
The tech company was hired by the Arizona GOP to prove Trump’s “big lie,” the lie that says the 2020 election was stolen from him by some bizarre coalition of vote tabulating machine companies, election officials in states that Trump won in 2016 and lost in 2020, Democrats, Republicans, and anyone else he could think of and convince supporters were in on the steal. The company has argued in court that they should be allowed to keep their audit process secret from the public, but Maricopa County Judge Daniel Martin shot that idea down.
Democracy Docket, a progressive group who provides public information about voting rights, reported that:
‘A judge ruled on Wednesday that Cyber Ninjas, a company hired by Arizona Republicans to conduct an additional audit of the 2020 election, would not be allowed to file their policies and procedures with the court under seal. This means that documentation around the Cyber Ninjas proposed audit tactics will be public for the people and the media to read.’
"A judge ruled on Wednesday that Cyber Ninjas, a company hired by Arizona Republicans to conduct an additional audit of the 2020 election, would not be allowed to file their policies and procedures with the court under seal."https://t.co/2e19sLdTCJ
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) April 28, 2021
Issues have arisen with Cyber Ninja’s audit previously when reporters were barred from witnessing the counting process and the only journalist to make her way inside witnessed auditors using blue pens that ballot tabulating machines will pick up when counting ballots. When that journalist, Jen Fifield, reported what she had seen to Doug Logan, who was in charge of the audit, he said he was not aware that blue pens were forbidden during ballot audits. The story did not exactly inspire confidence that the audit was in any way legit.
‘The audit has been highly contested after it was revealed that Cyber Ninjas was led by a “Stop the Steal” conspiracy theorist, and that the firm planned to knock on voters’ doors and interrogate them about the validity of their vote. There were also concerns by the Arizona Democratic Party that the use of outside firms to conduct the audit meant that sensitive voter information would not be kept private and secure.’
The private company hired by Arizona Republicans to recount 2020 ballots has been smacked down by a judge for trying to keep its process secret.
Cyber Ninjas was ordered to cough up its playbook, which departs significantly from AZ election procedures.https://t.co/cns5nMgK9W
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 1, 2021
The Arizona Democratic Party filed a complaint last Thursday regarding the validity of the audit and the processes that were being kept under wraps. Judge Martin set a court date for Monday in order to hear that complaint, but new revelations about the company’s leadership caused a delay in those proceedings.
‘That hearing was delayed until Tuesday when it was revealed that a lawyer on the Republican side had worked in Judge Coury’s office as an extern in the last five years. Judge Coury recused himself from the case.’
I'll join @NicolleDWallace at 4p ET on @DeadlineWH as Arizona perpetuates the dangerous lie: Cyber Ninjas, hired by Arizona Senate to recount Maricopa County's ballots, asks court to keep its procedures secret https://t.co/XvSbioAJg0 via @azcentral
— Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) April 26, 2021
