亚利桑那州参议院议长卡伦·范讨论了所谓“审计”马里科帕县与前总统的选票唐纳德·特朗普，谁感谢她追求它，根据发布的电子邮件向左倾的政府监督组织美国监督提出请求。
周五发布的电子邮件涵盖11月下旬至5月中旬，其中许多是在范恩的智能手机上写的。在这些文章中，共和党人将选举后审查描述为确保选民对选举的信心的一种方式选举尽管马里科帕县的一次人工重新计票和两次独立审查没有显示普遍违规或欺诈的证据，但这一过程。
范还试图在电子邮件中呼吁来自不同政治派别的选民，无论他们是否同意审计。作为对那些敦促她对审计采取行动的选民发来的批评邮件的回应，她提到了她与前总统的对话。作为对审计批评的回应，她建议这是一种反驳阴谋和改善系统的方式。
范恩通过州参议院的传票权下令进行“审计”，并选择了一家网络安全公司——网络忍者，这家公司在选举领域经验最少，创始人也是支持阴谋论在他被删除的推特账户上谈论选举。
从选票周转的速度来看，审查进程似乎已接近尾声。该州的一些共和党人估计，投票计数将在下周完成，在发布完整报告之前，将对结果进行额外分析，尽管尚不清楚最后一步涉及什么。这项工作从4月下旬开始，本打算在5月中旬完成，但在他们没有达到最后期限后不得不延长。记者无法联系到负责审查的官员置评，他们表示预计审查将在本月底前全部完成。
大多数批评电子邮件指责范恩没有为选举诚信和特朗普而战。其他人威胁说，如果范恩和其他共和党高级官员不进行审计并揭露“欺诈”，他们将投票罢免他们的职务
“也许你没有意识到，我们的参议院正在尽一切法律可能完成法医审计，我们正在起诉马里科帕BOS，”她说，指的是马里科帕县监事会。“过去几周，我与鲁迪·朱利安尼进行了多次交谈。试图完成这件事。我得到了他的全力支持，特朗普总统亲自打电话感谢我们推动证明任何欺诈行为。”
她告诉另一名选民，参议院在进行“审计”时必须深思熟虑，因为这可能是许多审计中的第一个。
她写道:“整个国家都在关注，因为这可能是诉讼或挑战的基础，这意味着每一个我和每一个T都必须被点缀和交叉。
尽管她暗示参议院可能会发现欺诈行为，但范恩也试图呼吁那些不支持审查的人。在回应一份称“审计”是浪费纳税人的钱的选民声明时，范恩说，她相信乔·拜登总统赢了。
“那是你弄错的地方。拜登赢了。45%的亚利桑那州选民认为选举制度有问题。审计是为了推翻这些理论或找到改进系统的方法，”她在5月21日说。
另一封邮件显示，范恩表达了她对这一过程的厌恶。
“我无法开始解释我有多讨厌这整件事，”她写道。“作为参议院议长，我有责任维护我们的宪法和法律，并遵从我的核心小组的意愿。这是每个成员的一致决定，因为他们每个人都表示，他们宣誓坚持自己的誓言。他们也受到鼓舞，因为我们从全州各地的选民那里收到了数千封电子邮件和电话，要求我们进行独立的法医审计，以重新树立对我们选举制度的信心。"
她补充说:“就我个人而言，我不认为我们会在每次选举中发现正常的违规行为之外的任何东西，但如果这能平息这些问题和担忧，我愿意再做一点。
范恩还多次写信给选民说，选举后的审查并不是要取消选举结果。
她写道:“参议院的意图从来不是要废掉选举人或推翻选民的意愿。“我认为，我们必须尽最大努力确保这一制度实际上是安全的，以维护亚利桑那州选举制度的完整性。这是我们对所有选民的责任，无论是哪个党派。”
这些电子邮件还揭示了与“一个美国新闻网”的某种程度的协调，这是一个极右翼的媒体渠道，它有更多的机会获得其他新闻机构没有的审计。
电子邮件显示，OANN的克里斯蒂娜·博比(Christina Bobb)在朱利安尼的要求下，向范发送了数页证词，她本人也曾出席审计。范还与博比交换了多封电子邮件，内容涉及审查的时间表和初步细节。
“朱利安尼市长让我把这些声明寄给你。他也会跟进你的情况，”鲍勃在12月4日给范的电子邮件中写道。
“谢谢你，克里斯蒂娜，”范恩回应道。"我已将此信息转发给议长鲍尔斯和我们各自的办公室主任和律师."
另一封电子邮件显示，范恩和鲍勃此前曾谈到过宣誓书。
“我相信我们正在寻找您的团队说您会发送的所有附加信息，因为他们没有这些信息。附加宣誓书、包含投票的已故或非法外国人姓名的名单等。”她写道。另一封电子邮件显示，她派了一个人希望为审计捐款，资助她成立的博比非营利组织，为审计筹集资金。Bobb已经指示她的社交媒体粉丝为这项努力捐款，由纳税人的钱和一笔未披露金额的私人捐款资助，要求他们帮助“让这次审计越过终点线。”亚利桑那州共和党随后宣布，OAN将拥有审计的独家流媒体权利。
鲍勃说BuzzFeed新闻5月下旬，她没有获得其他媒体没有获得的更多审计信息。她告诉BuzzFeed，除了允许她在广播中提及这些事情之外，OAN没有“以任何方式”与她的筹款活动有关联，并补充说，该网络没有收到这些捐款的任何结果。
除了范恩与鲍勃的谈话，参议院主席的许多电子邮件还显示，她批评了媒体对审计的报道，并告诉选民不要相信“自由媒体”
“我们计划进行100%的全面审计。自由媒体继续试图抹黑我们的努力。此时公开的信息越少越好，”范在3月下旬的一封电子邮件中写道。
范氏办公室没有回应置评请求。
Arizona Senate president says in emails Trump called to thank her for 'audit'
Arizona Senate President Karen Fann discussed theso-called "audit"of Maricopa County ballots with former PresidentDonald Trump, who thanked her for pursuing it, according toemails releasedto left-leaning government watchdog group American Oversight after a Freedom of Information Act request.
The emails released on Friday, many of which were written on Fann's smartphone, span from late November to mid-May. In them, the Republican describes the post-election review as a way to ensure voters' confidence in theelectionprocess, despite the fact that a hand recount and two independent reviews in Maricopa County showed no evidence of widespread irregularities or fraud.
Fann also attempted to appeal to constituents in the emails from across the political spectrum, whether they agreed with the audit or not. In response to criticism emailed by constituents who were pushing her to take action on the audit, she pointed to her conversation with the former president. In response to criticism of the audit, she suggested it was a way to disprove conspiracies and improve the system.
Fann ordered the "audit" through the state Senate's subpoena power and chose a cyber security firm -- CyberNinjas -- that had minimal experience in the election realm and whose founderespoused conspiracy theoriesabout the election on his since-deleted Twitter account.
The review process appears to be close to the finish line, based on the pace of ballot turnover. Some Republicans in the state estimate that ballot counting will be finished by next week and additional analyzing of the results will follow before a full report is released, though it is unclear what that last step involves. The effort began in late April and was meant to be finished by mid-May, but it had to be extended after they did not meet their deadline. Officials conducting the review, who said they are anticipating being fully finished by the end of the month, could not be reached for comment.
Most critical emails accused Fann of not fighting for election integrity and Trump. Others threatened to vote Fann and other top-ranking Republican officials out of office if they did not carry out the audit and expose "fraud."
"Maybe you are not aware that our Senate is doing everything legally possible to get the forensic audit done and we are suing the Maricopa BOS," she said, referencing the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. "I have been in numerous conversations with Rudy Giuliani over the past weeks. trying to get this done. I have the full support of him and a personal call from President Trump thanking us for pushing to prove any fraud."
She told another constituent that the Senate had to be deliberate in their pursuit of the "audit," as it could be the first of many.
"The entire nation is watching because this could be the basis of lawsuits or challenges which means every I and every T has to be dotted and crossed," she wrote.
Despite her suggesting that the Senate could potentially find fraud, Fann also attempted to appeal to those who did not support the review. In a response to a constituent note calling the "audit" a waste of taxpayer dollars, Fann said she believes President Joe Biden won.
"That is where you are mistaken. Biden won. 45% of all Arizona voters thinks there is a problem with the election system. The audit is to disprove those theories or find ways to improve the system," she said on May 21.
Another email showed Fann expressing her distaste for the process.
"I cannot begin to explain how much I really hate this whole thing," she wrote. "As Senate president I am bound to do my duty of upholding our constitution and laws, as well as following my caucus' wishes. This is a unanimous decision by every member as each of them stated they are sworn to uphold their oath. They are also being encouraged by the literally thousands of emails and calls we are receiving from our constituents across the state asking us to please do the independent forensic audit to reinstall confidence in our electoral system."
"Personally I don't think we will find anything outside of the normal irregularities we have every election but am willing to go this extra mile if it puts these questions and concerns to rest," she added.
Fann also wrote multiple times to constituents that the post-election review was not looking to nullify election results.
"The Senate's intentions has NEVER been about nullifying the electors or overturning the will of the voters," she wrote. "I believe we must do our diligence of making sure this system is in fact secure to preserve the integrity of the Arizona elections system. We owe this to all the voters, regardless of party."
The emails also reveal some degree of coordination with One America News Network, a far-right media outlet which has had increased access to the audit that other news organizations do not.
OANN's Christina Bobb, a personality who has been present at the audit, sent Fann pages of testimony at the request of Giuliani, according to the emails. Fann also exchanged a number of emails with Bobb about the timeline and preliminary details of the review.
"Mayor Giuliani asked me to send you these declarations. He will follow up with you as well," Bobb wrote in an email to Fann on Dec. 4.
"Thank you Christina," Fann said in response. "I have forwarded this information to Speaker Bowers and our respective Chief of Staffs and attorneys."
Another email showed that Fann and Bobb had previously spoken about the affidavits.
"I believe we are looking for all the additional information your team said you would send because they didn't have it with them. The additional affidavits, lists containing names of deceased or illegal aliens who voted, etc." she wrote. Another email showed her sending a person looking to donate to fund the audit to Bobb's nonprofit, which she formed to fundraise for the audit. Bobb has directed her social media followers todonate to the effort, which is funded by taxpayer dollars and an undisclosed amount of private donations, asking them to help "get this audit across the finish line." The Arizona Republican Party later announced that OAN would have exclusive streaming rights to the audit.
Bobb toldBuzzFeed Newsin late May that she has not had increased access to the audit that other media outlets haven't. She told BuzzFeed that OAN is not "in any way" affiliated with her fundraising efforts, other than allowing her to mention them on the air, adding that the network has not received anything as a result of those donations.
Aside from Fann's conversations with Bobb, many of the Senate president's emails also showed her criticizing media coverage of the audit, and telling constituents not to trust the "liberal media."
"We are planning on doing the 100% full audit. The liberal media continues to try and discredit our efforts. Less public information is better at this time," Fann wrote in a late March email.
Fann's office did not respond to request for comment.
