The gift that keeps on giving kept on giving as reporters continue to sort through the mountain of audit-related public records that the Senate illegally tried to hide, finally shining a light on who exactly is funding the audit and getting rich off of it.
Special shoutout to the poor Republic reporters who were liveblogging their way through the long Labor Day weekend. (And you wonder why they formed a union?)
Among the new revelations:
Cleta Mitchell, a GOP lawyer who resigned from her firm after advising Trump on that taped call where he urged Georgia officials to “find” enough votes to overturn the election, funneled $1 million to Cyber Ninjas subcontractors through an escrow account, the Republic found. (An audit spokesman assured the Republic the money didn’t come from Trump directly.) It appears the cash infusion was to settle unpaid debt from Cyber Ninjas to the subcontractors.
Pictures of your ballot are in the capable hands of Shiva Ayyadurai, an election and COVID-19 conspiracy theorist who goes by "Dr. Shiva" and was an online favorite to replace Dr. Anthony Fauci. (He’s not a real medical doctor, but he does claim to have invented email.)
The deep-pocketed Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jim Lamon only shelled out enough to pay for three security guards for the audit, and nobody is quite sure where the cash went, The Republic reported.
Shockingly, the audit that has gone way over deadline has also gone way over budget. The Senate has already spent $425,000 on the “$150,000” audit that has somehow cost millions, the Republic reported. (That’s not including the costs to other government agencies the Senate has declared war on, or the cost of the voting machines that the county plans to replace.)
State Representative and Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem found a way to get in on that money. His nonprofit billed the state $400,000 for rent-a-cops, charging three times what real cops earn, the Arizona Mirror reported. Stop the Steal!
Meanwhile, former Arizona Senate President Pete Rios, a Democrat, politely declined to be caught dead anywhere near that audit, the Mirror reported.
What the hell is going on in Vail?: Three men marched into an elementary school holding zip ties and threatening to “citizens’ arrest” the principal because a kid who came into contact with someone with COVID-19 was forced to stay home for a week. 12 News’ Brahm Resnik got the video and interview with the principal.
We’re glad you asked: Vail schools were at the center of our report two weeks ago, where we analyzed how school boards became the new front for partisan culture wars.
Zip ties are just the latest: Last year, Tucson Weekly had the weird backstory of Kelly Walker, the Viva Coffee shop owner who tagged along with the angry parent and streamed the whole event — he has been harassing and doxing local critics for years.
Get your wallets ready: Gov. Doug Ducey’s signature sports betting law is still on the books after a Maricopa County Superior Court judge refused to issue an injunction against it yesterday. The overall lawsuit continues, but sports betting starts this week.
It’s going to be a long one: The trial against six former Backpage employees, including co-founders Michael Lacey and James Larkin, started last week. And it’s already a doozy: Prosecutors mentioned child trafficking early on, and the defense wants a mistrial. They’re due back in court tomorrow.
Florida has Florida Man, Arizona has: Jacob Chansley, otherwise known as Jake Angeli, otherwise known as the QAnon Shaman who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, pleaded guilty to obstructing a civil proceeding, a felony. He awaits sentencing.
Remember how schools without mask mandates had far more COVID-19 cases?: Parents whose kids attend some of Arizona’s top charter schools want to see more measures put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 in classrooms. Many charters don’t have mask mandates in place, reports the Republic’s Yana Kunichoff.
No mask, no vax, no unemployment: If your company requires masks or vaccinations and you refuse to do that, you could get fired. And you might not be able to get unemployment benefits in that scenario, either. Or maybe you could. It’s a bit of an open question, reports Howie Fischer, who does not own the Capitol Times.
The government breaks the law: Starting under the Obama administration, officials turned away people at the border by putting a limit on asylum cases, a policy known as “metering.” That policy is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled, reports the Republic’s Clara Migoya.
The takes, they are hot: Republic columnist Greg Moore says it’s “creepy (like a handsy date who won’t take no for an answer)” for liberal activists to pressure U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema over her stance on the filibuster. Our hot take: Holding public officials accountable for their decisions is not akin to bullying or harassment.
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The Independent Redistricting Commission has set up a fun little tool to let you explore data on “communities of interest” submitted by the public. Communities of interest are one of the main determining factors in how redistricting lines are drawn. Is your community of interest included?
Conservative gubernatorial candidates are firing shots at each other, as gubernatorial hopeful Matt Salmon posted a video of himself target shooting and Kari Lake clapped back with her own video target shooting in the desert. She added a succinct “Lol!” Ahh, how we love to see a thoughtful debate in Arizona politics.
The Phoenix City Council will hold a policy session breaking down the city’s handling of COVID-19 rental and utility assistance efforts at 2:30 today. You can watch or submit a comment here.
LD17 Democrats will hold their virtual monthly meeting today at 6:30. Register here.