$ 5.7 million in private funds for ballot verification results

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WASHINGTON The private company hired to audit the 2020 Maricopa County election said this week its work was funded by $ 5.7 million in donations from conservative groups, a revelation that raised as many questions as it did responded to criticism.

The State Senate approved $ 150,000 in funds earlier this year for the work of Cyber ​​Ninjas and other companies, an amount that was quickly overshadowed by donations from private groups which critics say tamper with the findings of what they called a mock audit.

#RealAuditorsDon’t take a dollar, much less $ 5.7 million, to hunt debunked plots and discredit hard-working officials with false claims on ghost ballots and deleted files, Maricopa County said on his official Twitter account on Wednesday July 28.

The funding announcement comes as officials at the Maricopa County Recorders ‘Office on Thursday recovered electoral devices and more than 2.1 million ballots that were in Cyber ​​Ninjas’ possession and being held at the fairgrounds county in the past six months.

It came a day after the Justice Department raised concerns about the security of election documents and their chain of custody after an election, reminding states in official guidelines that there are federal criminal penalties. linked to a failure to back up records.

In recent weeks, a congressional panel and several private groups have asked Cyber ​​Ninjas for files on everything from their audit procedures to their qualifications, possible links to former President Donald Trump’s campaign at the source. of their funding.

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Cyber ​​Ninjas CEO Doug Logan said the release of the fundraising report of just over a page on Wednesday was an effort to be transparent on the part of listeners.

As we continue our commitment to transparency, we would like to take this opportunity to thank and publicly disclose the organizations that supported us during this audit, Logan said in a statement.

The actual fundraising report contained just five lines listing the groups that had donated to the effort as well as the total amounts awarded, in excess of the $ 150,000 contracted with the Arizona Senate, according to a statement from Logans.

The America Project, which describes itself as a pro-freedom, pro-American patriot group, raised most of the private funding, donating $ 3.2 million. Americas Future, which describes itself as the leader of nations in the struggle to preserve American values ​​and ideals, has contributed $ 976,514.43, according to the chart.

Other funding came from Voices and Votes, which donated $ 605,000; Defending The Republic, which donated $ 550,000; and the Election Integrity Funds for the American Republic, which contributed $ 280,000.

Logan also said that in addition to financial support, the America Project, Voices and Votes and the DePerno team (behind Election Integrity Funds for the American Republic, EIFFTAR) also provided essential operational support and advice in the execution of the audit.

Attempts to contact donor groups on Thursday were unsuccessful.

No details were released on where these groups raised the funds, although their websites all include an option where visitors can make contributions. The latter three groups authorize donations specifically for the Arizona audit, which one called the most important work done to ensure election integrity.

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But critics say the audit has little to do with election integrity and more to do with casting doubt on President Joe Bidens’ victory in the state and casting doubt on election security. usually in future elections.

From the start, it was clear the Cyber ​​Ninjas were not equipped to properly handle these ballots or county election materials, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said in an emailed statement Thursday. Unfortunately, the damage caused by this partisan revision of the ballot has been done.

The funding revelation is just the latest turning point in an ongoing struggle for election auditing.

Two weeks ago, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled that State Senate President Karen Fann must turn over the Cyber ​​Ninjas documents wanted by the American Oversight Committee, a group of government oversight, under the State Public Archives Act.

In Congress, the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties requested documents from Logan in a letter earlier this month in which lawmakers said they had serious doubts about the companies working on the project.

The committee requested a comprehensive list of documents, including a list of Cyber ​​Ninjas owners and stakeholders, records of its previous clients related to the election, and the release of any communication with Trump, his campaign, or those responsible for Cyber ​​Ninjas. its administration. He also requested documents on negotiations with Senate leaders on the audit contract, records of funding sources and payments for the work.

The committee gave Cyber ​​Ninjas until Wednesday to produce the information. Committee officials could not be reached on Thursday to see if Cyber ​​Ninjas had met the July 28 deadline.

Copyright 2021 Cronkite News / Arizona Board of Regents. All rights reserved.

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