Arizona GOP election 'audit' report delayed because Cyber Ninjas team is 'quite sick' with COVID-19


The Florida firm hired by Arizona Senate Republicans to review the 2020 election results in Maricopa County was supposed to submit its final report on Monday, but Arizona Senate President Karen Fann (R) said she now only expects "a portion of the draft report," due to unforeseen circumstances. "The team expected to have the full draft ready for the Senate today, but unfortunately Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan and two other members of the five-person audit team have tested positive for COVID-19 and are quite sick," she said in a statement. Fann suggested on Twitter that some of the Cyber Ninja leaders are hospitalized.
The Senate's purported audit of the results in Maricopa County, which gave President Biden his Arizona margin of victory in 2020, has split the state GOP and been sharply criticized by Arizona's Democratic secretary of state, Republican Maricopa County officials, and independent election experts, all of whom point to serious flaws in the opaque review process. Cyber Ninjas has no election administration or auditing experience and its CEO, Logan, has spread false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
The review "was funded with $150,000 in taxpayer dollars — and nearly $5.7 million in private donations from allies of former President Donald Trump, who has expressed hope that the process will vindicate his wild allegations of fraud," The Arizona Republic reports. "People close to Trump have said he has been fixated on the Arizona process," The Washington Post adds. The report's delay left people who subscribe to Trump's baseless vindication claims "suspicious and anxious to see results," the Republic said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Senate legal team will meet Wednesday to review whatever "portion" of the report they have, plus another review commissioned by the GOP Senate, Fann said. Senate officials will then spend a few weeks checking the Cyber Ninjas' work for "accuracy, clarity, and proof of documentation of findings," and pass it on to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will release it to the public.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Another name for the Gulf of Mexico | May 17 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons feature a new Air Force One, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and 'undocumented' immigrants.
-
5 jumbo-sized political cartoons about Qatar's 'gift' to Trump
Cartoons Editorial cartoons feature artists' takes on Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East.
-
Broccoli and cashew stir-fry recipe
The Week Recommends This nutty dish is a satisfying vegetarian option
-
Supreme Court weighs court limits amid birthright ban
speed read President Trump's bid to abolish birthright citizenship has sparked questions among federal judges about blocking administration policies
-
Gabbard fires intelligence chiefs after Venezuela report
speed read Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired the top two officials leading the National Intelligence Council
-
Trump vows to lift Syria sanctions
speed read The move would help the new government stabilize the country following years of civil war
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeover
speed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group
-
White Afrikaners land in US as Trump-declared refugees
speed read An exception was made to Trump's near-total ban on admitting refugees for the white South Africans
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin