Ben Giles/KJZZ

Doug Logan (left), CEO of Cyber Ninjas, and Ken Bennett (center) at the audit site at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix on April 22, 2021.

Former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, who became the face and voice of the state Senate’s audit of the 2020 election, is now out.

Audit spokesman Randy Pullen confirmed to Capitol Media Services that he ordered security at Veterans Memorial Coliseum not to allow Bennett back on the premises.

The decision was made by Senate President Karen Fann following Bennett’s decision to share certain information with reporters and outsiders before the audit was complete.

Bennett, who was Fann’s initial pick as her liaison with Cyber Ninjas, the firm she hired to conduct the audit, acknowledged that he did provide some data — he thought in confidence — to some election experts. He said they had a way of determining whether the count of the ballots being reported by Cyber Ninjas was in fact accurate. Bennett says he was concerned about transparency.

“I shared a very limited number of box counts with a group of election experts,” said Bennett. “It was not findings, it was not results, it was not vote counts, it was not anything that a lot of reports are claiming it was.”

Pullen said it’s not the first time Bennett had disclosed confidential information.

In a statement, Senator Fann says Bennett will still be involved in the audit’s final report.

“The voters deserve to know their votes are safe, secure and legally counted,” Fann said. “To that end, Ken Bennett will be involved and a vital part of the draft and final reports to ensure their accuracy with his knowledge and contributions throughout the audit process.”

Bennett, for his part, said the only thing he ever spoke about with reporters were things that were a matter of public record.

→ Arizona Senate Issues New Subpoena For 2020 Election Audit