Maricopa County, AZ is denying allegations made by former President Trump and other Republicans in the state that election officials deleted an election database needed to audit the 2020 vote:
Maricopa County rejects allegations of deleting election databases as controversial audit is on pause https://t.co/z9EUyQaOsq
— FOX 10 Phoenix (@FOX10Phoenix) May 15, 2021
Trump released a statement on the story, but that’s being challenged:
This isn't even close to accurate. A directory was recovered by a vendor that had ~20 sql files in it, 6 of which were tangentially related to 2020. @BennettArizona has already walked this back. A lot. #AZAudit pic.twitter.com/8MzlubkkvK
— The AZ – abc15 – Data Guru (@Garrett_Archer) May 15, 2021
Stephen Richer, a newly-elected Republican election official in Maricopa County, went further than the journos responding to the story, however, calling Trump “unhinged” and saying “we can’t indulge these insane lies any longer”:
Wow. This is unhinged. I’m literally looking at our voter registration database on my other screen. Right now.
We can’t indulge these insane lies any longer. As a party. As a state. As a country.
This is as readily falsifiable as 2+2=5. If we don’t call this out… pic.twitter.com/5tDy1wsZg6
— Stephen Richer—Maricopa Cnty Recorder (prsnl acct) (@stephen_richer) May 15, 2021
“Help me call out this lie,” he tweeted at fellow Republican State Rep. Leo Biasiucci:
@Leo4AzHouse here's a great example of a plain-as-day lie that will lead our Arizona residents to think the Maricopa County database has been entirely deleted. Help me call out this lie.
— Stephen Richer—Maricopa Cnty Recorder (prsnl acct) (@stephen_richer) May 15, 2021
Recommended
Richer defeated a Dem incumbent in the last election:
a Republican who unseated a Democrat last year to be Maricopa recorder has some thoughts: https://t.co/Amz4NKJYRU
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) May 15, 2021
The database story apparently originated with the official Twitter account of the audit and the Senate GOP:
"We can’t indulge these insane lies any longer."
Maricopa County's GOP Recorder – a top elections official on the job just 5 months – calls out "unhinged" claim that Trump's spreading about county election databases (falsehood started with @ArizonaAudit & Senate GOP). https://t.co/cBcFUhU6PC— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) May 15, 2021
Marciopa County called this “false information”:
#RealAuditorsDont: Assume guilt and post false information like it’s a Season 1 cliffhanger.
Read the facts here: https://t.co/ZvUVXL0UbR #PostFactsNotClickbait #AZSenateAudit pic.twitter.com/gIhpYZbzuU— Maricopa County (@maricopacounty) May 14, 2021
It’s actually the pinned tweet for the account at the moment, too:
https://twitter.com/ArizonaAudit/status/1392656033496006656
Maricopa County will be responding to the story today in a public hearing:
The 2020 elections were run w/ integrity, the results certified by the county & state were accurate, & the 2 independent audits conducted by the County are the true final word on the subject. We know auditing. The Senate Cyber Ninja audit is not a real audit. #azsenateaudit
— Maricopa County (@maricopacounty) May 14, 2021
#RealAuditorsDont: Release false “conclusions” without understanding what they are looking at. @Maricopavote did not delete tabulation data. Board will lay out facts in Monday meeting. Read Chairman @jacksellers statement here: https://t.co/ZvUVXL0UbR #AZSenateAudit pic.twitter.com/yG76BVQw7k
— Maricopa County (@maricopacounty) May 14, 2021
The Board of Supervisors will hold a public meeting on Monday to refute lies alleged by the Arizona Senate and the people involved in its audit.
More: https://t.co/ZvUVXL0UbR pic.twitter.com/ks8f6ZeEGT— Maricopa County (@maricopacounty) May 15, 2021
As for the audit, it’s on hold as the venue is being used for high school graduations over the next few weeks:
https://twitter.com/ArizonaAudit/status/1393287338818785286
To be continued. . .
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