Maricopa County Leaders call on AZ Senate to stop sham investigation of 2020 election

[essentialsaltes]

I think this is disingenuous.

I certainly see your point. This farce should never have been allowed to happen. There are already checks and audits in place, and this investigation could serve no purpose other than to sow chaos and mistrust of democratic institutions.

That said, I always welcome people returning to reality-land from wherever it is they've been vacationing.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

It no longer matters now, it's August, soon Trump will be back in the White House and we can put all that nonsense behind us.

 

[Valletta]

I think this is disingenuous. If the only motivation was to get at the truth, it's hard to understand why someone would support an audit by a company without the qualifications to do an audit, and with a head that has been a participant in selling the Big Lie. I'm glad Republicans are understanding that their effort has failed, but I don't think that should protect them from responsibility for making the attempt.

They may be far more capable than and of the auditors or certification people, there certainly is not enough information out there to make any kind of prudent judgment.

 

[Valletta]

This was new information to me. The people running this audit have no shame.

Days later, a former Republican state lawmaker who lost his reelection bid — and who would have been a Trump elector to the Electoral College had Trump won — was among the workers counting ballots.

LOL So much gossip.

 

[Valletta]

I certainly see your point. This farce should never have been allowed to happen. There are already checks and audits in place, and this investigation could serve no purpose other than to sow chaos and mistrust of democratic institutions.

That said, I always welcome people returning to reality-land from wherever it is they've been vacationing.

Election integrity is essential to our Republic. Of course, the more audits the better. Put the results out there and let the American people be the judge.

 

[cow451]

They may be far more capable than and of the auditors or certification people, there certainly is not enough information out there to make any kind of prudent judgment.

Yes there is.

 

[hedrick]

Election integrity is essential to our Republic. Of course, the more audits the better. Put the results out there and let the American people be the judge.

Absolutely. I would be happy to see all areas do audits by actual qualified auditors. It’s the politicized audits I have problems with.

 

[DaisyDay]

They may be far more capable than and of the auditors or certification people, there certainly is not enough information out there to make any kind of prudent judgment.

Yes, and the sea may be boiling hot and pigs might fly -- who really knows?

 

[Whyayeman]

From the AP article:

A conservative Republican senator withdrew her support, calling the process “botched.” And the lead auditor confirmed what was long suspected: that his work was almost entirely paid for by supporters of Donald Trump who were active in the former president’s movement to spread false narratives of fraud.

This is what many have said all along. Botched and delayed, and now apparently completed; yet it is to take weeks to write the report to the paymasters. Here is my own exclusive summary:

'We couldn't find anything wrong, Mr President. It appears to have been properly carried out all along.'

And now we know what those film makers were doing with their privileged access to Cyber Ninja's activities. They were not making a film of record. They were shooting a conspiracy theory movie designed to further obfuscate the truth.

 

[cow451]

Yes, and the sea may be boiling hot and pigs might fly -- who really knows?

If the pigs fly into the sea, you’ll want to add some veggies.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Here is my own exclusive summary:

'We couldn't find anything wrong, Mr President.

Mr. former president didn't give any money to this effort, so he may not have been the first to get the 'official' 'results'.

 

[Pommer]

Mr. former president didn't give any money to this effort, so he may not have been the first to get the 'official' 'results'.

Yeah, that wouldn’t’ve polished well at all.

So now the one side will couch it as “see? ETHICAL BEHAVIOR!” and my side will come down on “free-loader, getting other people to fight his ‘battles’”, or there-abouts.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Maricopa County to Senate: "The Board has real work to do and little time to entertain this adventure in never-never land."

The lawyer's more formal response that follows is along the lines of "We already gave that to you. We don't have that. We already said we're not giving you that but I'll remind you why."

 

[Arcangl86]

Maricopa County to Senate: "The Board has real work to do and little time to entertain this adventure in never-never land."

The lawyer's more formal response that follows is along the lines of "We already gave that to you. We don't have that. We already said we're not giving you that but I'll remind you why."

Even the lawyer was really testy in his response. It was a great example of using leaglize to call somebody an idiot.

 

[Whyayeman]

'... this adventure in never-never land.'

That is testy, I agree. It withering sarcasm, coming as it does, from an official source.

 

[Whyayeman]

August is slipping away. The football season and the Glorious 12th are upon us. Where is that untimely 'forensic' 'audit'?

I am beginning to think that Cyber Ninjas are a bit unreliable.

 

[Whyayeman]

August has slipped away.
Cyber Ninjas, where are they?

Have some patience, dears,
This will run for years.

Any news, anyone?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Any news, anyone?

Only indirect, but...

Yes, of all the ironies, it appears Byrne, who went from Overstock to laughingstock for bankrolling the ambiguous Sarasota computer security company [i.e. Cyber Ninjas] to find election fraud in Maricopa County, Az., violated Utah state statute by listing his place of business as his legal residence on his form.

 

[Whyayeman]

Should he be prosecuted ... for voting fraud?

He certainly could be in the UK.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Not only pointless, but now rather expensive. The voting machines have been thought to have been compromised so badly by the incompetence of the "Ninjas" that they have decided they are not going to be used in the next elections. That means that the state will have to pay to replace them, though I would love to see the Cyber Ninjas foot a huge part of that bill:

It turns out that Maricopa County taxpayers will pay to replace them.

As a result, the County has had to replace the subpoenaed election equipment at a cost to the County of $2,833,220.00. These costs are directly recoverable from the Senate pursuant to the Covenant of Indemnification.

However, the Arizona Republic reported that Maricopa County reached a deal on Friday that would let the GOP lawmakers off the hook for the millions in damages. As part of the deal, Maricopa County will pay the costs of replacing the voting machines from its taxpayer-funded budget — despite the Senate's indemnification agreement that promised taxpayers wouldn't foot the bill for any costs stemming from the audit effort.

In return for dropping the costs, Arizona's Republican attorney general backed off his own threat to withhold $700 million in annual state funding to the county — or nearly half of its operating budget — because Maricopa County had not complied with one of numerous subpoena demands.

I hope these shenanigans really inspire some 'vote the bums out' action with the AZ Senate.