One of the enduring mysteries surrounding the chaotic efforts to reverse Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential race has been solved: Who secretly donated $1 million to a controversial election “audit” in Arizona? The identity of one of the biggest beneficiaries behind the infamous review of Arizona’s vote count remains shrouded in mystery.
The Guardian can now reveal that … Trump is the man who partially bankrolled the failed attempt to prove that the election was stolen from Trump. The analysis documented by the watchdog group found that the Arizona audit found Trump funded Save America Pak.
The group tracked that cash from the Trump Fund through an affiliated conservative group and from there to a shell company that funneled money to contractors and individuals involved in the Arizona audit. Trump secretly donates $1 million to Arizona election ‘audit’ Trump at a rally in Arizona.
The audit focused on Maricopa County and Arizona, which Biden won by 45,109 votes. Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters. Funding for Controversial Review of State Vote Counts in 2020 Election Can Be Traced to Former President’s Pocket One of the enduring mysteries surrounding Donald Trump’s chaotic efforts to overcome a 2020 presidential defeat has been resolved.
Who secretly donated $1 million to a controversial election “audit” in Arizona? The identity of one of the biggest beneficiaries behind the infamous review of Arizona’s vote count remains shrouded in mystery. The Guardian can now reveal that … Trump is the man who partially bankrolled the failed attempt to prove that the election was stolen from Trump.
The analysis documented by the watchdog group found that the Arizona audit found Trump funded Save America Pak. The group tracked that cash from the Trump Fund through an affiliated conservative group and from there to a shell company that funneled money to contractors and individuals involved in the Arizona audit.
Florida-based Cyber Ninjas, which led the Arizona audit, revealed that $5.7 million of its 2021 budget came from several far-right groups that invested in the “Stop the Steal” campaign to overturn Joe Biden’s presidential victory. It was later revealed that another $1 million from an account controlled by Republican election lawyer Cleta Mitchell supported the audit, advising Trump to rig the 2020 election.
But who gave Michelle $1m? In September 2021, as Cyber Ninjas prepared to present its findings, the New York Times reported that unnamed “officials” denied that Trump played any role in securing the funds. Arizona’s Senate Republican leaders, who have called for an audit of Cyber Ninjas, have publicly denied Trump’s involvement, saying it “has nothing to do with Trump.”
Documented’s analysis pierces through that rejection. Based on its investigation of corporate, tax, and campaign finance filings, as well as emails and text messages obtained by the nonpartisan accountability group American Oversight through public records requests, the watchdog followed the money on its circuitous journey from the former US president. Pak to Arizona review.
A wide-ranging investigation of cyber ninjas has focused on Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous county. Biden won the county by 45,109 votes. The purported investigation has been laced with wild conspiracy theories, including evidence that bamboo fibers found on ballot sheets were printed in Asia. Even local Republicans denounced the review as a “grift disguised as an audit.”
Bill Gates, who was the Republican vice-chair of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors at the time of the Cyber Ninjas audit, said he was “disappointed, but not surprised” by the Guardian’s revelation that Trump helped pay for it. “I have no problem with audits,” Gates said. “What I have a problem with is an audit that’s done with one goal in mind, and it’s literally being funded by one of the candidates.
This is definitely not what we want to happen. Gates pointed out that under Arizona law, election candidates are not allowed to fund vote recounts, which must be funded with taxpayer dollars. While the Cyber Ninjas review isn’t technically a recount, it serves a similar purpose. “At the very least, it would be extremely hypocritical for the Arizona state senate to allow the audit to be funded in this manner,” Gates said.
