It’s the perfect storm of conspiracy: Arizona’s election audit and COVID-19

It’s the perfect storm of conspiracy: Stolen election meets fake virus.

Monday passed and Arizona’s ninja election auditors didn’t produce their long-awaited proof that the presidential election was stolen.

They did, however, produce proof that COVID-19 is no joke.

Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan and two other members of his five-member audit analysis team were stricken with the virus that’s often derided by those on the far right as nothing more than the seasonal flu. One of three is reportedly hospitalized.

Here’s hoping that all three make a full and speedy recovery and that far-right crowd breathlessly awaiting proof of a hijacked election – the same people who see COVID-19 as a government plot – can somehow locate their heads, which likely popped off at the mere mention of the virus.

Or maybe it’s just a whole new layer of conspiracy, cunningly designed to prevent Americans from ever learning the truth about Arizona’s election? 

OK, now my head’s popping off.

Many still believe Cyber Ninjas’ debunked claims

It’s almost funny, except, of course, that it is no laughing matter.

Not the virus and not the forthcoming audit report, which will almost certainly claim something nefarious happened here, regardless of whether there is proof.

Lost in the mix is the fact that really, the actual results don’t much matter.

The audit already has accomplished its goal of cementing in the minds of the Trump faithful that they were cheated.

Every day I get emails from Republicans who absolutely believe that more than 74,000 early ballots were illegally counted despite never being requested by voters. That the county deleted a voter database to hide critical evidence from auditors. That 11,000 people illegally voted then were slipped onto the voter rolls in December.

These are all “facts” that were publicly announced by the auditors during Senate briefing.

None of it is true. Maricopa County has debunked every one of the claims, explaining in detail how the inexperienced auditors are misinterpreting data.

Audit did it job: Money’s rolling, GOP is furious

But then Trump and his acolytes have successfully convinced a shockingly high number of Republicans that facts aren’t facts unless they come from him, or from one of the far-right gossip sheets that laughably claim to report the news.

Anything espoused by the county? Corrupt.

Anything reported by the actual media? Fake.

Anything claimed by Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs? Liar.

Anything said by Republicans who dispute tall tales of conspiracy and intrigue? RINOS and sellouts. And, oh yeah, traitors.

As a number of readers have told me: “Everyone knows there was fraud.”

Because, well, they just know.

No evidence needed. No credibility required.

The goal of this audit already has been met. Audit fever now has spread across the country. Money’s rolling in and Republican voters are furious, wide awake and primed for 2022.

A 5-week job turned into 5 months

Had Senate President Karen Fann wanted to conduct a credible examination of the 2020 election, she could have done that. She could have hired an independent auditor with expertise in elections. There are plenty of them around.

Instead, she hired the Cyber Ninjas, a tiny Florida cybersecurity company with no elections experience other than a CEO who promoted theories that the vote was stolen. A Trump supporter who agreed to do the job for $150,000, knowing that this audit would be privately funded to the tune of $5.7 million – or more – by like-minded members of the MAGA nation.

A guy who for five months has been conducting what was supposed to be a five-week job.

Now we learn this week that the audit isn’t over.

Meanwhile, the ninjas have started another phase

Fann announced on Monday that the draft report on the auditors’ findings has been delayed. The search for evidence of the “crime of the century” just got its butt kicked by the virus of the century.

Not even ninjas, it seems, can dodge the realities of medical science.

Fortunately, we will (mostly) recover from COVID-19. From the assault on our elections, probably not for a long time to come.

We’re now told the ninjas are just getting started on yet another phase of their investigation: Examining signatures on the 1.9 million early ballot envelopes to determine if they’re fake or real.

That’s an enormous and fairly complex undertaking and oh, by the way, keep those donations coming.

I’d ask what expertise they have in the area of handwriting analysis but really, does it matter?

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

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*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from The Arizona Republic can be found here ***