What sham audit information are the Cyber Ninjas and the Arizona Senate trying to hide?
When Republican Arizona Senate President Karen Fann gave the go ahead for the sham audit of Maricopa County votes, she said the process would be conducted professionally and transparently. Shes 0 for 2. HA! That went out the window with the hiring of the Florida-based firm Cyber Ninjas to conduct the audit. Not only had the company not done such a thing before, but the CEO, Doug Logan, is a confirmed conspiracy kook who spread unproven election fraud claims and has appeared in a film claiming the CIA or former members of the intelligence agency are involved in some nutty disinformation campaign concerning election fraud. Then, there is the transparent part. The audits already conducted by the Maricopa County Recorders office, and the two certified firms who also were hired to check the election process, were open to the public and transparent. They found no fraud. This audit, too, was to be that way. Supposedly. Audit should be 'transparent, truthful and accurate'  Logan said of his audit, The big question should not be, Am I biased, but Will this audit be transparent, truthful and accurate? The answer to the latter question is a resounding Yes.   Except, its not. If it was, The Arizona Republic would not be going to court and asking a judge to have the Senate and Cyber Ninjas turn over records the public has every right to see. For example, information about audit procedures, about subcontractors, about whos paying for it. As attorney David Bodney, representing The Republic, said, Arizona law entitles the public to know how this audit is being conducted and funded. And the Arizona public records law does not permit the Senate to play hide the ball by delegating core responsibilities to a third party like Cyber Ninjas and concealing records of government activities and public expenditures in Cyber Ninjas files.  The Senate and Cyber Ninjas are trying to say the sham auditors have no obligation to turn over any of this information because Cyber Ninjas isnt a state entity but just a firm hired by the state. As if state business isnt state business when its being done by a private contractor. A lame argument, at best. If the handling (Or was it manhandling?) of our precious voter information has been completely on the up and up that fact should be apparent when the records requested by The Republic are made public. The answer to the latter question is a resounding No.  Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com. For more opinions content, please subscribe.