Swing State Makes Huge Announcement About Audit Investigation
Republicans in the state of Pennsylvania are moving forward with a forensic audit of the 2020 election.
Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman took the place of the prior Republican who was leading the investigation into the election, State Senator Doug Mastriano.
“It is deeply disappointing that Senator Mastriano has retreated from conducting a forensic investigation of the election in Pennsylvania, and it is discouraging to realize that he was only ever interested in politics and showmanship and not actually getting things done,” he said in a statement on Friday.
“Despite this setback, we remain committed to conducting a full investigatory audit of recent elections to improve our election system going forward. We need someone to lead this effort who is more interested in real results than grandstanding at rallies. For that reason, I am requesting that Senator Cris Dush – an Air Force veteran who has led numerous investigations in the military and headed the delegation in visiting the Arizona audit – take up this cause and initiate a thorough review of the election, starting with fighting back against the partisan attacks on our election system by the Wolf Administration,” he said.
“We remain committed to an open, honest review that will lead to positive changes to restore the public’s faith in our elections,” he said.
He spoke to radio host Wendy Bell “the chamber would start hearings in the coming days,” he said. He promised to do a “full forensic investigation,” like the one in Maricopa County, Arizona.
State Sen. Mastriano emailed Forbes saying that he has “little confidence that a real investigation would ever take place.” He said that he did not want the audit to be a “glorified recount” and was “not willing to budge on a watered-down version of an investigation that is set up to fail.”
In a press release on Monday Sen. Corman said the audit needs to rid “doubts surrounding recent elections.”
“For nearly a year, our Commonwealth has been tied in knots by doubts surrounding recent elections. No matter whether you supported Donald Trump or Joe Biden in the 2020 election, everyone should have confidence in the results of that election. That is the only way our system works,” the senator said.
“Unfortunately, that is not the case in Pennsylvania. The underhanded actions of our disgraced, now-former Secretary of State cast doubt upon the fairness of the process, and our new Acting Secretary has done everything in her power to shield that process from transparency. This includes undercutting the Senate’s clear legal authority to provide oversight of our elections in threatening to de-certify equipment reviewed by “third-parties.”
“If we are going to give Pennsylvanians an election system they can believe in, we need to remove any doubt about whether the system is fair. That is why I announced recently the Pennsylvania Senate will conduct a thorough forensic audit of recent elections – including using our subpoena powers,” he said.
“This audit is intended to go much further than previous reviews mandated by state law, which have focused on whether the reported counts are “accurate.” The goal of the Senate’s investigation will not be to conduct a recount but to find any flaws in the system that could be exploited by bad actors and take action to correct those flaws through legislative changes to our Election Code.
“As we move forward, we must make sure our approach is legally sound. In furtherance of that goal, I have asked Senator Cris Dush to lead this forensic audit. His experience as an investigator both in the military and the private sector uniquely positions him to excel in this role,” the senator said.
“Our goal should be to proceed carefully, thoughtfully, and transparently. I am not interested in a process that panders to any one point of view. We need to follow the evidence wherever it leads and get real results to make our election system stronger and more secure. That is the only way we can restore faith in our voting process and give all Pennsylvanians the peace of mind to know that future elections will be both fair and honest,” he said.
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