Maricopa County, Ariz. officials demanded that former president Donald Trump and state Republicans retract their allegations that the county deleted evidence ahead of an independent audit into the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump accused the county on Saturday of removing records containing important information about county voting.
“The entire Database of Maricopa County in Arizona has been DELETED!” he said in a statement.
“This is illegal and the Arizona State Senate, who is leading the Forensic Audit, is up in arms,” Trump added. “Additionally, seals were broken on the boxes that hold the votes, ballots are missing, and worse.”
Trump’s allegations follow a letter from Arizona Senate President Karen Fann, who said the independent auditing firm the Arizona state Senate hired had “serious issues” with the audit process.
Those issues included a database that was deleted, she said, as well as alleged noncompliance with the legislative subpoena.
However, several state election officials, some of them Republicans, have denied the allegations.
“After reviewing the letter with County election and IT experts, I can say the allegations are false and ill-informed,” Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers, a Republican, said in a statement.
Chairman @jacksellers responds to “false and ill-informed” allegations from Arizona Senate and Senate audit account. “It’s clearer by the day the people hired by the Senate are in way over their heads.” Full statement below: pic.twitter.com/kBkVKgbEcD
— Maricopa County (@maricopacounty) May 14, 2021
Stephen Richer, the Maricopa County recorder and a registered Republican, also slammed Trump, calling his allegations “unhinged.”
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
