Arizona Senate audit liaison flip flops on whether he will resign

Earlier in the day, Bennett said he intended to resign less than a week after he was blocked from entering a facility where a ballot recount was taking place.

“I’m going to step down as the liaison today. I’ll issue a statement later for the press,” Bennett said on 550 KFYI radio.

ARIZONA SENATE SEEKS RECORDS ON MARIOPCA AUDIT FROM HOBBS

That, too, marked a quick turn in events, as Bennett said on Monday he had planned to announce his resignation on the radio but reconsidered after speaking with Fann.

He said he was blocked from entering the audit building after he shared sample data from the ballot box counts with election technology analysts Larry Moore and Benny White. A spokesperson with Cyber Ninjas, the lead contractor hired to conduct the audit, told the Arizona Republic on Friday that the order to block Bennett came from Fann’s office.

Bennett stressed on Monday that continuing to be barred from “critical aspects” of the audit would make the situation untenable for him.

Fann, a Republican from Prescott, released a statement on Tuesday saying Bennett “will be involved and a vital part of the draft and final reports to ensure their accuracy with his knowledge and contributions throughout the audit process,” but also criticized those who would share specific findings from the audit before the final report is completed.

“It is irresponsible to disclose partial information to the media since they are not ‘confirmed’ facts until the audit is final. This only leads to confusion and misinformation with the public. For that reason, it is imperative anyone working with the audit is required to adhere to the rules of not disclosing unconfirmed information,” she said.

“I’m afraid that what it will end up looking like is that after somebody drafts a report, that I’ll get a few hours or a day or something to review it before it is released to the world as the final report,” Bennett said Wednesday. “And I have always tried to act as a man of honesty and integrity, and I’m sure I don’t accomplish that all the time, but I cannot put a rubber stamp on a product that I am being locked out of its development.”

Bennett said he still backs the recount effort and supports additional subpoena efforts by the Senate to obtain more Maricopa County election materials, including routers, so auditors can submit a full report. Officials affiliated with the audit predict the findings will be released later this summer, even after Bennett and audit leaders testified last week before the state Senate that there are still materials and information they need to complete their work.

“It’s had its struggles and bumps,” Bennett said of the audit, noting, “originally the auditors thought we’d be done by middle of May [and] here it is, the end of July.” Bennett blamed the delay of a final report on Maricopa County “being obstructionist in not providing information willingly like they said they would at the beginning.”

Bennett also confirmed assistant liaison Randy Pullen will be in charge of overseeing the third recount, which is a ballot-only recount intended to ensure the number of ballots in the Senate’s custody matches the number of ballots tallied by Cyber Ninjas. Fann herself said earlier this month the tallies did not add up.

The mostly Republican Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has been critical of the audit, saying that two previous election reviews found no evidence of fraud and contended that the auditors hired by the Senate are not certified to review elections. There was also a recount of a sample of ballots that did not turn up any problems. After a battle in court, ending with a judge saying an earlier round of subpoenas from the Arizona Senate were “legal and enforceable,” the partisan audit began in August.

The Republican-led Arizona Senate served a new subpoena to Maricopa County officials on July 26, with a warning that county officials could be held in contempt if they do not hand over new materials by Aug. 2. A subpoena was also issued to Dominion Voting Systems, the company that leases election machines to Maricopa County. Both have indicated they will fight the requests.

In addition, Fann sent a public records request to Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs on Tuesday, seeking documents from her office in relation to the audit efforts. Fann said she could not “disclose” information about the requested documents. Hobbs, like other Democrats in the state, and even some Republicans, has been a vocal critic of the audit.

Maricopa County officials announced last month voting machines subpoenaed for the audit would be removed from service after Hobbs threatened to decertify the equipment, citing concerns with the methods of Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based firm hired to lead the review.

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After courts rejected several lawsuits challenging the 2020 results in Arizona and other states former President Donald Trump lost, he and his allies have turned their attention to the GOP-led Arizona Senate audit in Maricopa County, touting it as an inspection that could support their claims of widespread fraud or irregularities.

President Joe Biden won Arizona and its 11 electoral votes by more than 10,000 votes out of the 3.3 million across the state. His lead was due partly to his advantage in Maricopa County, where he scored nearly 45,000 more votes than Trump among roughly 2.1 million ballots cast.

The Washington Examiner contacted the Arizona Senate and Maricopa County but did not immediately receive a response.