The last we heard Arizona Democrats had obtained a stay that put the forensic audit of
Arizona’s 2020 presidential election on hold, but a statement from President Trump issued late yesterday indicated everything is back on track for the audit to continue.
Said former President Trump:
Incredible organization and integrity taking place in Arizona with respect to the Fraudulent 2020 Presidential Election. These are Great American Patriots, but watch, the Radical Left Democrats “demean and destroy campaign” will start very soon. They will say anything they can to take away the integrity, validity, and credibility of what these incredible Patriots are doing—but the people of Arizona won’t stand for it. They were among the earliest to see that this was a Rigged Election!
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Chris Coury said during a hearing on Friday, April 23, 2021 that he would temporarily pause the audit until at least Monday so he could hear more about concerns Democrats laid out in a lawsuit.
“There is an obligation to comply with Arizona law to ensure that voter information is protected and remains confidential and it does not go anywhere,” Coury said.
But he stipulated that the audit would only be paused if Arizona Democrats put up $1 million bond.
The Epoch Times reported a court document states that Coury “ordered a suspension of the audit until Monday upon posting of a bond, but, upon representation of the Plaintiffs that the bond will not be posted, the matter is moot.”
Another hearing on the issue is still scheduled for April 26.
Coury wants a briefing then on the legislative immunity issue, the separation of powers, and whether plaintiffs have adequate standing.
The legal battle over the audit has played out for months. Maricopa County’s Board of Supervisors previously asked a judge to block subpoenas from the state Senate, but the judge ruled the county had to comply with the subpoenas.
Cyber Ninjas began a manual recount of ballots Friday, a day after Democrats asked a judge to put an end to the audit. The judge ordered the company to follow ballot and voter secrecy laws and demanded they turn over written procedures and training manuals before a hearing Monday on the Democrats’ request. He offered to pause the count over the weekend if Democrats posted a $1 million bond to cover added expenses, but the party declined.
It turns out the Democrats would not put any money behind their loud mouths and the Arizona state Democratic Party refused to post the bond. The Arizona Republican Party said in a statement, “Democrat’s bluff called and they fail to post a $1million bond to stop forensic audit.”
Democrats have been doing their best to halt or failing that to undermine the credibility of the audit, and so far are failing miserably.
On Friday, Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, urged Arizona’s attorney general to investigate potential violations of the state’s election laws in connection with the election audit.
Hobbs told Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, that there have been reports indicating the Senate failed to secure the equipment and ballots its contractors are auditing, resulting in “unauthorized and unmonitored access to both.”
Brnovich told Hobbs in a response that the Senate “has broad constitutional and statutory authority to issue a legislative subpoena and consequently conduct the audit of the Maricopa County election,” adding that Hobbs alleged the Senate may have violated election laws but provided no evidence besides referring to “recent reports.”
“This does not meet the standard of a credible allegation—it is speculation insufficient to support the request for an official investigation. Moreover, the separation of powers in our political system demands deference to co-equal branches of government to conduct their lawful business,” he wrote. “It would therefore be inappropriate to interrupt the auditing process simply because someone asserts that it could be handled in some other manner. Any such requests should be directed to Senate President [Karen] Fann.”
Then to really throw the future of the audit for a loop, Maricopa County Superior Court spokesman said Judge Christopher Coury recused himself Sunday.
ABC15 reported Coury removed himself after learning of “The involvement of one attorney whose name appeared on the filings for the first time today,” according to an email to attorneys in the case.
The hearing had been set for 11 a.m. A new judge will be assigned. The audit, however, will continue.
In attacking the Arizona forensic audit of the 2020 presidential election Democrats are using the same technique they used to get the Russia collusion hoax going: Plant a fake news story with a media ally and then cite the fake news story as justification for legal action, without having to produce any independently verifiable evidence of their own. The audit, conducted with transparency standards sufficient for the court, should continue without further interruption.
2020 Election audit
Donald Trump
Joe Biden
Electoral votes
Trump statement
Elections integrity
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Chris Coury
Cyber Ninjas
$1 million bond
Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs
Attorney General Mark Brnovich