Cyber ​​Ninjas who are friends of Trump refused to comply with House inquiry into Arizona election audit

Cyber ​​Ninjas, the private company that runs a partisan and much-criticized audit of millions of ballots cast in Arizona in the 2020 election, has refused to comply with a Congressional inquiry into the company, Democrats said. bedroom.

In a letter dated Sunday to Cyber ​​Ninjas CEO Douglas Logan, Democrats said they “would be forced to consider further steps to achieve compliance” if the company “continues to stand in the way” to their investigation.

The warning came as the Florida-based company, which lacked election audit experience and whose owner had tweeted its support for pro-Trump election plots, was set to deliver a report on its findings to Republicans across the country. ‘Arizona who ordered it. Several pro-Trump black money groups have raised millions of dollars to fund the audit.

Democrats, including Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, have denounced Senate Republicans for adopting bogus conspiracy theories about a rigged election, which former President Donald Trump frequently propagated before and after his election. defeat to President Joe Biden.

But election experts also said the audit results should not be trusted, citing a range of concerns about investigators’ methods and motives.

In mid-July, House Oversight Chair Carolyn Maloney, DN.Y., and Civil Rights subcommittee chair Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Told Logan they were looking for files as part of a review to determine whether his company’s actions were “aimed at reversing the outcome of free and fair elections for partisan purposes.”

They requested those documents, which included information on who is paying for the effort, by July 28.

But after receiving an extension to file the documents by August 9, Cyber ​​Ninjas “sent a letter opposing the Committee’s nine requests,” Maloney and Raskin said in Monday’s letter.

“Cyber ​​Ninjas has failed to produce key documents responding to the Committee’s requests,” they said, including its communications with Trump, the Arizona State Senate and “supporters of the black money that financed this audit “.

The company objected on the grounds that lawmakers’ demands were “vague”, “ill-defined” or “overloaded”. But Democrats said none of these objections provided “a legitimate justification for hampering the committee’s investigation.”

Maloney and Raskin also responded to repeated claims by Cyber ​​Ninjas that the documents are protected by solicitor-client privilege, calling the claims “patently invalid” and “based on a fundamental misunderstanding by congressional authorities.” .

Cyber ​​Ninjas did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the letter.

Arizona county officials who conducted audits in the days following the Nov. 3 election found no discrepancies or irregularities in many counties.

But in March, Republicans in the Arizona Senate hired Cyber ​​Ninjas and two other companies to conduct their own audit of the 2.1 million votes cast in Maricopa County, saying the additional analysis “would validate every area of ​​the voting process to ensure the integrity of the vote. “

Biden defeated Trump by more than 45,000 votes in Maricopa, the most populous county in the state. Biden beat Trump statewide by about 10,000 votes.

Democrats told Logan they will give Cyber ​​Ninjas an additional extension, giving them until August 27 to voluntarily share the requested documents.

“If your company, which claims to be acting lawfully in pursuit of the public interest, continues to obstruct the Committee’s investigation, the Committee will be forced to consider other measures to achieve compliance,” the letter said.