If you were wondering why the meltdown in Maricopa County is happening today, think about it no further. The answer is that the State Senate just lost a key legal battle to a watchdog group. Democracy Docket:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, the Arizona Superior Court in Maricopa County denied the state Senate’s request to dismiss a case seeking records of the Republican-led ‘audit’ of the 2020 election. The case, filed by the nonpartisan watchdog group American Oversight, asks for the release of all documents relating to the audit of the 2020 Maricopa County election results.
The Arizona State Senate had previously claimed they could not release the full suite of documentation because much of it was in the hands of the private firms they hired to conduct the audit. If this excuse is allowed to stand, said a lawyer for American Oversight upon the case’s filing, it means “the Senate or any other public body in Arizona could circumvent public records laws by using public money to hire private contractors to perform government functions and instructing those contractors to maintain sole custody, control and possession of records.”
The Superior Court agreed when they dismissed the Senate’s motion to dismiss. “It is difficult to conceive of a case with a more compelling public interest demanding public disclosure and public scrutiny,” says the ruling. The Court “completely rejects Senate Defendants’ argument” that the use of private firms to conduct the audit exempts the resulting records from disclosure requirements under the state’s public records law. The Senate must now release requested documentation about the audit.
If you take a look at the ruling, you’ll see that the basic argument the state senate is making is that the records of their vendors are not under the auspices of the public records law, because Cyber Ninjas and other vendors are not “public bodies.” What a ridiculous premise. It is no wonder it got so handily shot down. I marvel that they find lawyers to draft these pleadings, but I guess a dollar is a dollar and if you can get somebody else to put their name on it, why not?
Cyber Ninjas and the state senate will have to turn over their records and that should be a real hoot. Let’s see where well over $3 million dollars have been blown.
And here’s an interesting development: Trump’s spokeswoman is right in the middle of this.
Ben Cotton is offering “testimony” on the system in Arizona supposedly collapsing during the 2020 election. Naturally, he’s trying to set the stage for Pennsylvania and any other states who might want to jump on the audit bandwagon. Trump world and its experts. Look for this to get weirder still, it always does.
Who in the hell is Ben Cotton?
My only surprise is the G.Q.P. of AZ thought they could do this end run around public scrutiny.
Will Maricopa have to allow inspection of their router, too? Or is that off limits? If so, why?