Reiterates Call For Statewide Audit & Canvass; Initiates Call For Attorney General Investigation & Secretary Of State Resignation
Phoenix – Former Congressman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Matt Salmon today issued the following statement in response to the election audit report released last week by the Arizona Senate:
“The results of the audit report should be a wake-up call to anyone who still believes that last year’s election in Maricopa County took place without serious discrepancies.
“I have been leading on the issue of election integrity, touring the audit site and keeping up-to-date with important developments, since day one. I said last Thursday – and before the report’s release – that it would outline a number of serious discrepancies, and the report confirms it. For example, the report states that the election system was connected to the Internet and the county’s response to this matter has been less than convincing. County officials failed to undertake adequate cybersecurity precautions. And Maricopa County officials obstructed the audit time and again. As I said last week, the notion these discrepancies only took place in Maricopa County is hard to believe. We need to get to the bottom of this by pursuing a statewide forensic audit and thorough statewide canvass.
“To start, Democrat Secretary of State Katie Hobbs needs to step down. Over and over, Hobbs has shown that she is more interested in promoting her campaign, smearing her constituents and appearing on MSNBC than serving the people of Arizona. And while she played politics, on her watch, the election system used in Arizona’s largest county was at risk of being compromised with inadequate cybersecurity measures. Time and again, Hobbs has impeded any review or investigation of the 2020 election despite there being serious discrepancies. Her conduct has been deeply irresponsible, putting her interests above those of Arizonans with real concerns about the election, and putting the integrity of our democracy second to her political ambitions. She needs to resign her position as the state’s chief election officer immediately and become a full-time candidate just as one of her Democrat primary opponents has resigned his office in the state legislature.
“Next, I am urging Attorney General Mark Brnovich to open an investigation into the issues raised by the audit. First and foremost, the audit’s report that election systems were connected to the Internet must be fully investigated. Next, I agree with Senate President Karen Fann’s letter to the Attorney General on Friday that ‘Arizona voters deserve an unimpeachable electoral process,’ and I hope the Attorney General will follow through by investigating these matters thoroughly and as soon as possible.
“I have been fighting for election integrity for some time; my campaign issued an ‘Arizona Voter Bill of Rights;’ I called for a statewide audit and canvass; I made clear as governor that I would refrain from signing legislation until election integrity bills reached my desk; and I am now calling for the Secretary of State to step down and Attorney General to investigate the 2020 election in Maricopa County. No one has been stronger on the issue of election integrity and no one has been more attentive to the concerns of Arizonans about the state’s electoral systems. And nothing is more important than ensuring that the people of Arizona have confidence that their votes were counted fairly and will count in the future. I will continue to fight tooth-and-nail until that objective is reality.”
Read Original Article onMattSalmonForAZ.com
