Fogbow

July 29 (Reuters) - A Republican lawmaker in Pennsylvania has come out against his colleagues' "forensic" audit of the 2020 election, becoming the party's first statewide official to publicly call for an end to the effort and warn of electoral consequences for the party.

In an op-ed on Thursday, state senator Dan Laughlin says that moves to investigate Donald Trump's loss to President Joe Biden in the state are being made "absent credible evidence of fraud" and won't change the outcome, as some voters hope.

"The current attempt to discredit the 2020 election results runs headlong into an unmistakable truth," wrote Laughlin, a centre-right Republican from Erie County. "Donald Trump lost Pennsylvania because Donald Trump received fewer votes."

His comments mark a rare public rebuke of Republican state senator Doug Mastriano from within his own party. Mastriano has been arguing for a comprehensive "forensic" investigation involving the inspection of voting equipment, modeled on a contentious partisan probe ongoing in Maricopa County, Arizona.

A group calling itself an "election integrity committee" drew allegations of voter intimidation after its members reportedly knocked on doors across York County asking about how and for whom residents voted.

York County President Commissioner Julie Wheeler, who said she received numerous calls about the individuals claiming to be members of the committee, emphasized that they have no affiliation with the county government. The county referred the cases to the Southern York Regional Police Department, said Wheeler, a Republican who was elected to the commission in 2019.

“I received some emails from residents who live in the southern part of York County,” Wheeler said. “I’ve spoken with the individuals, and we’ve turned the matter over to law enforcement.”

Various local officials say they have received reports that the group is visiting residents' homes and questioning how the homeowner voted and who they voted for. The questioning comes as county officials weigh whether to comply with a "forensic audit" of the 2020 election spearheaded by state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin County.

John Thomas8 wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 9:24 pm Show up at my door asking who I voted for and the door is getting slammed in your face.

My first inclination is to present them with the business end of a Desert Eagle, but that option gets withheld until they get insistent.

raison de arizona wrote: ↑Thu Jul 29, 2021 10:25 pm My first thought is to whip out my phone and begin recording. What’s your name? Who do you work for? Then follow them to their car and get their license plate number to file a complaint.

But your way works too.

Sen. Mastriano hopes to issue election ‘audit’ subpoenas within 2 weeks

A Republican state senator who wants to have the committee he leads force three counties to turn over election machines, ballots and related material said Tuesday he thinks subpoenas will be issued in the next two weeks.

Sen. Doug Mastriano of Franklin County told the conservative-friendly outlet Newsmax that he’s working on a broad subpoena to York, Tioga and Philadelphia counties.

“Obviously I can’t operate on my own, so I have a committee, so the committee will have a vote, hopefully in the next week or two that will authorize the committee, and me as their chair, to send the subpoenas to three counties,” he said.

The deadline for voluntary compliance that Mastriano gave the counties expired in recent days — officials in Tioga and Philadelphia have said no, and York has raised concerns but has not directly turned him down.

“It’s going to be a big package, actually,” Mastriano said. “We’re going to look at the hard copy ballots. Thank God in Pennsylvania we do require a hard copy of ballots. We’ll look at the ballots and anything associated with the hard copy ballots, and then we’ll also be asking for the equipment, any voting equipment that was used, or routers, will be also part of that subpoena.”

Pa. GOP lawmaker says the cause for a forensic election investigation is ‘weakened and diminished’
‘We’re not in a very good spot right now,’ Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, said Thursday
BY: MARLEY PARISH - AUGUST 19, 2021 10:58 AM
(*This story was updated at 12:48 p.m. on Thursday, 8/19/21, to note that Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, deleted the Facebook live from his profile.)

Saying his cause had “been weakened and diminished,” a Republican state lawmaker behind an Arizona-style investigation of Pennsylvania’s election results has pressed pause on the probe. The announcement from state Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, came during a since-deleted Thursday morning Facebook live stream before an audience of more than 1,000 supporters. Mastriano, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, announced plans to pursue a “forensic investigation” into Pennsylvania’s 2020 general and 2021 primary elections in July. He made a sweeping request for voting equipment and election information from York, Tioga, and Philadelphia counties. However, the three counties — two of them reliably Republican areas, and one Democratic stronghold — refused to comply, citing the cost of replacing election equipment and a directive from the Department of State prohibiting third-party access to voting machines. In July, Mastriano said he wasn’t surprised the local governing boards for the counties declined to participate.

Doug Mastriano is… very sad (and his supporters are livid). He says the “powers that be” stopped his committee from having a meeting to advance his sham review and now he “burned a lot of bridges” for nothing. Aw. This is gonna be a mess. pic.twitter.com/EiDYyPj2kU
— J.J. Abbott (@jjabbott) August 19, 2021

He told Chambersburg-based News Talk radio host Pat Ryan that subpoenas would have the counties added legal protection. At the time, Mastriano, who chairs the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, a seldom-used committee that typically does not oversee election issues, said the 10-member panel would meet in one to two weeks to vote on issuing subpoenas. But on Thursday, Mastriano, without offering evidence or specific details, told followers: “The powers-that-be made sure that didn’t happen.” “We’re not in a very good spot right now,” he said. “I put my name out there to get it done, and I’ve been stopped for the time being. If there’s a way I could do it without being stopped, a way around this momentary impediment, you know I would find it.”

Mastriano, who did not respond to a request for comment, opted not to explain how his proposed investigation reached a stall during the stream. Instead, he cited a “betrayal” from a group that worked with him to advocate for the review. He did not identify the group. “I’ve warned these ladies — don’t let it get to your head,” he said. “Watch out for pride. Remember those who helped you get there, and it’s already forgotten. The star will burn out.” Earlier this week, Mastriano appeared at an “Audit the Vote” rally hosted by Women for America First, a conservative group, with state Reps. Dawn Keefer, R-York, and Stephanie Borowicz, R-Clinton, to advocate for the proposed investigation. He’s also attended events held by Audit the Vote PA, a group that promotes unsubstantiated claims of election fraud. Mastriano has previously suggested on social media that Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre, is to blame for the delay. Mastriano retweeted a user urging Corman to back Mastriano and Audit the Vote earlier this month.

That same day, a local TV station ran a segment saying Corman supports an election investigation. Still, Mastriano said Thursday he is “finding it really hard to see a way forward.” “When you have unity of effort, people stand together, and they’re not undercutting. I am the lead voice in this fight, and when people want to fracture off that, the forensic investigation might not happen … there’s only so much I can do as one of 50 senators,” Mastriano said. He added: “But if the people stand with us in unity, the forensic investigation will move forward.” At least one of Mastriano’s Republican colleagues in a less-red district has expressed skepticism about the proposed investigation. State Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, said in an op-Ed that a similar review in Arizona undermined public trust in elections, and urged his colleagues to focus on more pressing issues.

Democrats have also used the issue to hit incumbents in the blue-trending regions around Philadelphia and Allentown ahead of the 2022 elections and the coming redraw of the legislative maps. In a series of Facebook ads running this month, the state Democratic Party has encouraged voters to contact state Sens. Bob Mensch and Tommy Tomlinson, of Bucks County, and Pat Browne, of Lehigh County about the election investigation. All won reelection by slim margins — Tomlinson by just 74 votes — in 2018. The near-identical ads state that the lawmakers are “doing nothing to protect his voters’ ballots and privacy against a sham election audit.” “Enough is enough,” they continue, urging voters to tell them to “stand up against Trump-Republicans’ circus!”

Shortly before noon on Friday, Pennsylvania Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Adams) tweeted a two-page update on his efforts to launch a forensic audit of the 2020 general election and 2021 primaries in three counties.

* * *

At least two of his Republican Senate colleagues are also obstructing the investigation, Mastriano reported, one of whom he identified as Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman.

* * *

Update, 2:57 p.m. EDT: Just after publishing this article, The Post & Email contacted Corman’s office for comment responsive to Mastriano’s letter and with several questions. As of the time of this update, we have not heard back from Corman.

In an email time-stamped 8:25 p.m., Thompson responded on behalf of Corman:

Hi Sharon, thanks for reaching out.

On background, I would share with you for informational purposes that the bipartisan Special Committee on Election Integrity and Reform released a report today detailing its findings and recommendations to strengthen Pennsylvania’s election system. Not sure how many other states did a similar kind of months-long comprehensive review, but I know it’s not many. A link to a news release on that topic is available here: https://www.senatorcorman.com/2021/06/1 ... n-reforms/.

On the statement from former President Trump, the Senator has no comment.

The GOP leader of the Pennsylvania state Senate said an investigation into the results of the 2020 election is gaining steam following substantial pressure from former President Donald Trump.Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, a Republican, tweeted on Friday that a "forensic" review of the past presidential election was "moving forward."

The former president had publicly applied pressure to Corman and other GOP lawmakers in Pennsylvania to launch a review similar to the highly controversial audit undertaken by Arizona Republicans.

"After many weeks of work behind the scenes, we are now moving forward to conduct a forensic review of recent elections. I am confident that we have the right team in place to make it happen," Corman wrote on Twitter.

After months of demands from former President Donald Trump, Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers on Thursday jump-started what they’re calling a “forensic investigation” of the 2020 election — but they didn’t detail how the review will actually work. State Sen. Cris Dush (R., Jefferson), chairman of the committee leading the review, said it’s aimed at determining whether Pennsylvania election law can be improved. “This investigation is not about overturning the results of any election, as some would suggest,” he said in remarks that opened an almost two-hour hearing. “That horse is out of the barn, as far as this investigation is concerned.”

But Dush’s stated objective closely resembles the rationale GOP lawmakers gave for previous probes, including one led by a special panel formed by the top Senate Republican specifically to review the election and recommend changes to state law. For months, State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R., Franklin) — a pro-Trump firebrand and likely candidate for governor — led the push for an investigation. But until late August, it was unclear whether GOP leaders would take up Trump’s cause. That’s when Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman (R., Centre) came out in favor of a review and ousted Mastriano from overseeing the probe.

Corman faced public pressure from Trump and Republicans in his district to conduct an investigation modeled off the monthslong partisan review in Arizona. Elections experts, including current and former GOP officials, have said the Arizona review failed to follow best practices, chased conspiracy theories, and made inaccurate findings that were quickly debunked. Republicans have said, including at Thursday’s hearing, that their constituents are concerned about election integrity generally and the 2020 election in particular. But those concerns have been largely driven by Trump’s lies about voter fraud and election rigging, which Republicans across Pennsylvania have echoed.

There is no evidence to support Trump’s baseless claims of widespread fraud. Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes, multiple lawsuits challenging the election made no specific claims of fraud and were thrown out or otherwise failed, and county and state audits of the results found no issue with them. Dush did not refer to the inquiry as an “audit” Thursday, but Corman has told pro-Trump interviewers that he is committed to completing a “full forensic audit.” The scope of the inquiry remained unclear Thursday. Corman has said he wants to obtain voting records, machines, and other materials, in part to determine whether any ballots were cast in the name of dead people.

AndyinPA wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2021 11:42 am https://www.inquirer.com/politics/penns ... 10909.html

After months of demands from former President Donald Trump, Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers on Thursday jump-started what they’re calling a “forensic investigation” of the 2020 election — but they didn’t detail how the review will actually work. State Sen. Cris Dush (R., Jefferson), chairman of the committee leading the review, said it’s aimed at determining whether Pennsylvania election law can be improved. “This investigation is not about overturning the results of any election, as some would suggest,” he said in remarks that opened an almost two-hour hearing. “That horse is out of the barn, as far as this investigation is concerned.”

There were a couple of cases here where ballots were cast in the name of dead people. And they were all republicans.

RTH10260 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2021 4:48 pm

AndyinPA wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2021 11:42 am https://www.inquirer.com/politics/penns ... 10909.html

After months of demands from former President Donald Trump, Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers on Thursday jump-started what they’re calling a “forensic investigation” of the 2020 election — but they didn’t detail how the review will actually work. State Sen. Cris Dush (R., Jefferson), chairman of the committee leading the review, said it’s aimed at determining whether Pennsylvania election law can be improved. “This investigation is not about overturning the results of any election, as some would suggest,” he said in remarks that opened an almost two-hour hearing. “That horse is out of the barn, as far as this investigation is concerned.”

There were a couple of cases here where ballots were cast in the name of dead people. And they were all republicans.

Well, that's a lot clearer than that the AZ Senate president claimed their fraudit will be. Did the former double impotus take note that there will be no August 13 return in PA?

Pennsylvania State Senator Mastriano Vows To Issue Subpoenas In Election Audit

A Republican Pennsylvania state senator is vowing to issue subpoenas to get the cooperation he is seeking.

In an interview on One America News, Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who chairs the state Senate’s Intergovernmental Operations Committee, said he is prepared to issue subpoenas.

“We’re eagerly awaiting my committee coming together when I can get a quorum, get everyone’s calendars matched up—it is summertime. As soon as I get a quorum, we will have a meeting, we will vote on subpoenas, and let the fun begin,” he said.

Mastriano initiated a forensic probe of the 2020 and 2021 elections in early July by sending requests for materials like ballots and asking for access to machines, to Tioga, York, and Philadelphia counties.

But officials in all three counties are refusing to comply voluntarily, setting up the need for subpoenas.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro Sues To Block GOP Election Subpoena
CBS Philly 2 hours ago

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s attorney general sued Thursday to block a Republican-approved subpoena to state election officials in what Republicans call a “forensic investigation” of last year’s presidential election, spurred on by former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that he was cheated out of victory. The lawsuit from state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, is the second thus far targeting a subpoena approved last week by the Republican-controlled Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee. Both were filed in the state’s Commonwealth Court.

Shapiro’s office broadly asked the court to block the subpoena because, it said, it serves no legitimate legislative purpose and stems from Trump’s efforts to undermine trust in the results of the 2020 presidential election. The suit at other points seeks targets certain information requests in the subpoena as illegal or unconstitutional, and unenforceable. For instance, granting the subpoena’s request for voter information — including names, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers — would violate a person’s constitutional right to privacy, particularly because the subpoena isn’t based on proof of wrongdoing.

It also would expose voters’ to the risk of exposing their personal information, thus violating the constitutional right to vote, it said. The subpoena was emailed to senior Department of State officials last week. Democrats in the state Senate also sued to block the subpoena and to put a stop to the Republicans’ “forensic investigation.”

raison de arizona wrote: ↑Sat Sep 11, 2021 1:06 pm

Pennsylvania State Senator Mastriano Vows To Issue Subpoenas In Election Audit

As soon as I get a quorum, we will have a meeting, we will vote on subpoenas, and let the fun begin,” he said.

https://conservativebrief.com/vows-to-issue-50778/

Fun? Really? He's quite gleeful at the prospect.