So-called ‘Arizona audit’ of 2020 election is delayed after three members of Cyber Ninjas firm get Covid

The pro-Trump CEO of the company is one of the individuals diagnosed with Covid-19

The results of the so-called Arizona election audit in Maricopa County have been delayed because three members of the firm administering the analysis have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

The group overseeing the audit, Cyber Ninjas, is run by a supporter of Donald Trump, Doug Logan, who repeated the election conspiracy claims made by Mr Trump.

On Monday, the Arizona State Senate issued a statement explaining that the results of the months-long audit would be delayed due to members of the Cyber Ninjas team, including Mr Logan, being diagnosed with Covid-19.

"The team expected to have the full draft ready for the Senate today, but unfortunately Cyber Ninjas CEO Dough Logan and two other members of the five-person audit team have tested positive for Covid-19 and are quite sick," the statement said.

On Monday, the state senate received a portion of the report, and expects to receive the full report on Wednesday. When the rest of the report is received, the senate will hold a meeting to check for "accuracy, clarity, and proof of documentation of findings," after which a final report will be given to the Senate Judiciary Committee and released to the public.

The audit has been the subject of contention among Arizona lawmakers and in the public at large.

While pro-Trump broadcast networks like OANN and Newsmax have televised long stretches of the recount, critics have labelled it a farce.

The Maricopa County Board of supervisors blasted the audit, claiming it was eroding public trust in the democratic process.

“We express our united view that your ‘audit,’ no matter what your intentions were in the beginning, has become a spectacle that is harming all of us. Our state has become a laughingstock. Worse, this ‘audit’ is encouraging our citizens to distrust elections, which weakens our democratic republic,” the supervisors wrote.

Stephen Richer, the Republican Maricopa County Recorder, called Cyber Ninjas claims "unhinged”.

“We can’t indulge these insane lies any longer. As a party. As a state. As a country,” he wrote on Twitter.

One Republican state Senator, Paul Boyer, went so far as to call the audit "embarrassing."

"It makes me embarrassed to be a state senator at this point," he said.

On Sunday, House Democrats complained that Cyber Ninjas has refused to cooperate with a congressional probe into its audit.

In a letter dated Sunday, House Democrats warned that they will be "forced to consider other steps to obtain compliance" if Cyber Ninjas "continues to obstruct" its investigation.

The audit has been funded with millions of dollars from pro-Trump dark money groups, according to CNBC. Elections experts have warned that the results of the audit should not be trusted due to the influence of those groups and the pro-Trump bias the Cyber Ninjas CEO has clearly exhibited.

Trey Grayson, a Republican who formerly served as the Kentucky Secretary of State, warned the audit could not be trusted and produced a report on the group's methods.

"The processes and procedures being used to conduct the Cyber Ninjas review deviate significantly from standard practices for election reviews and audits, as described in this report. Because of these untrustworthy practices and the partisan leanings of those doing the review, any findings by the review are suspect and should not be trusted," the report said.