Dark money groups tied to Donald Trump’s inner circle and backed by people who have spread baseless claims about the 2020 presidential election appear to be playing a key role in funding an unprecedented review of 2.1m ballots in Arizona. Republicans in the Arizona state senate, which authorized the inquiry, allocated $150,000 in state funds to pay for it – just a fraction of the projected overall cost, which is still unknown. The state senate.
A Pennsylvania Republican lawmaker who toured the Arizona state Senate’s review of Maricopa County’s recent election said he “absolutely” wants to replicate the controversial process in his home state.
Mr. Mastriano also told WEEO-FM that his group would take the “information back to the Senate leadership” in Harrisburg and “back-brief them on the way ahead.”
“And then hopefully we can come up with an approach here to make sure every person in Pennsylvania can rest assured they have one vote, and it counts,” he said.
After viewing the procedure in Maricopa County, Mr. Mastriano said he was impressed by the controls put in place by the auditors.
“This audit is so secure, transparent and organized that other states want to duplicate the process,” he said.
Arizona Senate Republicans ordered the audit of the 2.1 million ballots in Maricopa, the state’s most populous county. The count is about halfway completed. President Biden won the county by about 45,000 votes.
A team of Republican legislators from Pennsylvania is visiting Arizona's Capitol on Wednesday to receive a briefing on the audit of the 2020 election in Maricopa County and meet with members of the Arizona State Legislature.