Probe into Voting Irregularities Expands, Sources Claim
Federal investigators have reportedly acquired "gigabytes" or even "terabytes" of election data from Maricopa County, Arizona, fueling an expanding probe into alleged voting irregularities. The acquisition appears to involve records from the Arizona State Senate's 2020 election results audit, with Senate President Warren Petersen, a Republican, stating he complied with a federal grand jury subpoena for these documents last week.
Sources familiar with the matter indicate the FBI obtained the data, though specifics on the exact method – whether by subpoena or other means – remain unclear. This development comes as federal authorities continue to examine election administration practices in states like Arizona and Georgia, potentially looking into compliance with federal law.
Discrepancies Emerge Regarding Data Acquisition
While reports suggest a significant data retrieval, official statements from Maricopa County election agencies have contradicted these claims. Both the Maricopa County Elections Department and the Recorder’s Office stated they have not received any subpoenas for election records. This assertion was amplified by Warren Petersen on social media, who labelled contrary reports as "fake news."
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The differing accounts add another layer of complexity to the situation, particularly following a Truth Social post by Donald Trump that celebrated a report about the FBI seizing election records. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, has publicly accused Petersen of spreading misinformation regarding Arizona's elections.
A Look Back at the Maricopa County Audit
The Maricopa County election records now reportedly under federal scrutiny are linked to a controversial 2021 audit of the 2020 presidential election results. This audit, conducted by Cyber Ninjas, was commissioned by the Republican-controlled Arizona State Senate. The audit itself was fraught with disputes, with county officials and the Secretary of State's office raising concerns about its procedures and alleged mishandling of ballots.
"The audit’s disclosed procedures (departures from and ignorance of best practices for hand recounts) and the reports of the observers sent from the Secretary of State's office (including sloppy handling of ballots)."- A letter from Secretary of State Katie Hobbs detailing concerns
The U.S. Department of Justice had also previously expressed concerns to the then-President of the Arizona State Senate, Karen Fann, that the audit might violate federal laws. Reports from draft versions of the audit's findings, seen by The New York Times, indicated that Joe Biden had won the county, with slight adjustments to the vote counts compared to the official certification. Independent auditors later reportedly found that the audit had missed a significant portion of paper ballots.
The cost of the audit was nearly $9 million, according to financial records released by the Arizona State Senate. The investigation into election administration practices has persisted, with the FBI having previously seized ballots and records from Fulton County, Georgia, earlier this year via a judicially-approved search warrant. The method used in Arizona, relying on subpoenas, does not require judicial sign-off or the assertion of probable cause of a crime, unlike the Georgia case.
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