Cyber Ninjas, the GOP-linked firm that led the 2020 Arizona election āaudit,ā has reportedly closed down.
Company spokesmanĀ Rod Thomson confirmed the news to the Associated PressĀ on Friday, saying Cyber Ninjas has let go of all its employees. The news comes just twoĀ days after a judge blasted the firm for failing to turn overĀ public records related toĀ the presidential audit in Maricopa County.Ā Judge John Hannah ordered Cyber Ninjas to pay $50,000 for every day it refused to provide the necessary documents, which were requestedĀ by the Arizona Republic newspaper in 2020.
Jack Wilenchik, the attorney representing the company, told Hannah that Cyber NinjasĀ is insolvent and that its CEOāāStop the Stealā proponentĀ Doug Loganācould not afford to go through all the requested documents.
āThe court is not going to accept the assertion that Cyber Ninjas is an empty shell and that no one is responsible for seeing that it complies,ā explained Hannah, who argued there was no evidence to suggest the firm was, in fact, insolvent.Ā
The judge went on to point out Cyber Ninjas had received millions of dollars in donations to carry out the election review. The āauditāĀ was heavily pushed by former presidentĀ Donald Trump, who attempted to overturn Joe Bidenās victory by spewing baseless claims of election fraud. After the audit resultsĀ confirmed Bidenās narrow win in Arizona, state GOP officials concluded POTUSĀ won a āfree, fair and accurate electionā in Maricopa County.
On Wednesday,Ā Maricopa County election officials released a report slamming Cyber Ninjasā audit practices. The officials claimĀ the firmāsĀ ballot review contained about 80 false orĀ misleading claims about its findings.
As of Friday afternoon, Cyber Ninjaās website was still operating with no indication of a shutdown.Ā