PHOENIX (AP) – Election officials in Arizona have presented a point-by-point rebuttal of a controversial review of the 2020 election that former President Donald Trump and many of his supporters have used to promote the myth that Trump lost because of fraud.

The report, titled ‘Correcting the Record: Maricopa County’s In-Depth Analysis of the Senate Inquiry,’ was released on Jan. 5, and officials say it is the final word to the inquiry on the county’s administration of the November 2020 election.

Election administrators and the mostly Republican leaders of Maricopa County have always maintained that the review, conducted by Trump supporters on behalf of state Senate Republicans, was flawed.

Here’s what you need to know about the report.

Who authorized the review?

The review was authorized by the Republican-controlled state Senate, which subpoenaed the election records from Maricopa County and selected the inexperienced, pro-Trump auditors.

Related: Election conspiracies live on with audit by Arizona GOP

“The audit will validate every area of the voting process to ensure the integrity of the vote,” read a portion of a statement released by Senate Republicans in March 2021.

The review began with a sweeping subpoena issued by Senate Republican leaders in late 2020 as Trump and his allies searched in vain for evidence to support his claim the election was stolen. The subpoena demanded access to all 2.1 million ballots, the machines that counted them and troves of digital election data from Maricopa County, home to the Phoenix metro area and 60% of Arizona voters.

To lead the review, Republican lawmakers hired Cyber Ninjas, a small cybersecurity consultancy with no experience in elections and led by a Trump supporter who shared conspiracy theories about the election on a Twitter account that he later deleted.

What was the result of the review?

The review ended in September 2021 without producing proof to support former President Donald Trump’s claims of a stolen election.

The Cyber Ninjas report confirmed Biden’s narrow victory in Maricopa County but claimed a number of shortcomings in election procedures and suggested the final tally still could not be relied upon. Trump has repeatedly pointed to those claims in his rallies and public statements.

What is in the report released by Maricopa County officials?

In a statement, Maricopa County officials say “the in-depth analysis and review of the reports and presentations issued by the Senate’s contractors found that nearly every finding included faulty analysis, inaccurate claims, misleading conclusions, and a lack of understanding of federal and state election laws.”

Specifically, Maricopa County officials say of the claims made by the various entities connected to the audit:

• 22 were found to be misleading. “The claims lead the reader to assume a conclusion that is not supported by the evidence,” a portion of the statement read.
• 41 were found to be inaccurate. “The claims include flawed or misstated analysis,” a portion of the statement read.
• 13 were found to be false. “The claims are demonstrably false and can be proven false using materials provided to the Senate,” a portion of the statement read.

Did the county conduct its own audit?

Yes, according to officials.

“After the November 2020 General Election, the County hired two federally certified Voting System Test Laboratories to conduct an audit of the tabulation equipment used to count ballots for all five of the elections administered in 2020,” read a portion of the report.

According to the report, both labs found no anomalies in the tabulation equipment. They also found that:

• Certified software were used for all tested software, systems and equipment
• No malware or malicious hardware were installed
• No evidence of internet connectivity was found

One of the two labs also found the 2020 General Election program and tabulation equipment was accurate, according to county officials. The test was only done by one of that two labs.

Where can the report be found?

The report has been uploaded to the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office website, and can be read here.

The former president is scheduled to host a rally Jan. 15 outside Florence, his second in Arizona since his election loss.

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