The Arizona recount is harmful to our democracy.

I assume the Trump cult will lie and find “errors” in the ballots. They will use this as a basis to push for recounts in other states. Most Republicans will never accept that Trump lost. They won’t accept any future presidential losses either.

The Liz Cheney fight has gotten a lot of deserved attention. But the direct fight in Arizona between reality and delusion is a lot more instructive of where the GOP is. https://t.co/phDbB2A0rj
— Philip Bump (@pbump) May 17, 2021

An Arizona Republican called former President Trump’s latest outburst “unhinged.”

“We can’t indulge these insane lies any longer,” said Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer. @JohnAvlon explains why more local Republicans are speaking out in today’s #RealityCheck pic.twitter.com/l3K70vjvZv
— New Day (@NewDay) May 17, 2021

"The recount of Maricopa County ballots is only about casting doubt on the election’s legitimacy, and every Republican knows it. Yet despite this, or perhaps because, very few Republicans will call for it to stop. They should be pressed to explain why."https://t.co/BhXsGDXJql
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 17, 2021

Trump’s comments on Maricopa County election recount are “unhinged,” Arizona Republican official says https://t.co/tyKfTHyVRP
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 16, 2021

“We can’t indulge these insane lies any longer. As a party. As a state. As a country” https://t.co/OfQZC5zo28
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) May 16, 2021

Group that can’t find systemic voter fraud eager to help combat systemic voter fraud – The Washington Post https://t.co/k5rI0IpVZ5
— Thomas Edsall (@Edsall) May 16, 2021

Over 120 retired military leaders back the big lie

2021 Open Letter From Retired Generals and Admirals 9 May 2021https://t.co/LIuHGtgQgu
— Patricia Dickson (@Patrici15767099) May 11, 2021

"The 'Flag Officers 4 America' statement…not only critiques the policies and leadership of the sitting commander-in-chief, but it also takes aim at the entire Democratic party, our constitutional system, and the legitimacy of the 2020 election."https://t.co/cJJ9xmytgh
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) May 13, 2021

More than 120 retired generals and admirals signed an open letter that accuses the Biden administration of committing “direct assaults on our fundamental rights” and pushes the uncorroborated claim that the election was stolen @BryanDBender reportshttps://t.co/69TxWw18qZ
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) May 11, 2021

Another takeaway: at least 93 of the signatories ALSO signed a letter in 2020 backing Trump for re-election.@ProjectLincoln kindly shared the demographic data that they compiled on that letter.https://t.co/SbDz8rS4Ls
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) May 12, 2021

omg https://t.co/ULTU4vXA2o
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 15, 2021

86% of Republicans who trust Fox News believe the Big Lie

There's ample evidence that Cheney is right. Earlier this week, @PRRIpoll found that 86% of Republicans who trust Fox News "support the stolen election conspiracy theory." https://t.co/IshJBWEd1Y
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 13, 2021

More on the disgraceful Arizona audit

1/ The post-election sham underway in AZ should concern every American.

Whether you're an avid or casual observer, here's a deep-dive🧵to explain why it’s not just about AZ — it's a harbinger of grave threats to democracy that could spread farther.

RT!https://t.co/SOSKtNUXwe
— Eddie Perez (@eddieperezTX) May 14, 2021

Why I think the Arizona Senate’s audit is eating at the foundation of our democracy. See my interview with @jennymedina https://t.co/O0xwYpjYw6
— Bill Gates (@billgatesaz) May 12, 2021

Events in Arizona are just getting worse and worse.

It's Insurrection 2.0—and one of the top stories in America. https://t.co/J0vcvP13cM
— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) May 12, 2021

How NOT to make voters trust our elections process. https://t.co/wOHwyfvcWs
— Slate (@Slate) May 11, 2021

And this GOP State Senator voted for the BS audit! “Looking back, I didn’t think it would be this ridiculous. It’s embarrassing to be a state senator at this point" https://t.co/XjtqFOAgIV
— Susan Del Percio (@DelPercioS) May 10, 2021

Arizona audit postpones plan to interview voters that raised Justice Department concerns https://t.co/b3hkHKBEUg
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 8, 2021

Data from Catalist on the 2020 election

I am shocked that 15% of Trump voters were not white. He is such a bigot and has attacked minorities. Remember “shithole countries”?

Analysis: Trump’s improvement with non-White voters in 2020 was important — but not as important as the turnout surge https://t.co/KL9mjFUrFr
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 10, 2021

New, accurate demographic portrait of the electorate just dropped https://t.co/CpZioYMc2v pic.twitter.com/OeHoTAiDLL
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) May 10, 2021

Truly one of the most disingenuous and misleading tweets of all time. The majority of the US is women and people of color, who collectively make up about 70% of the population. Women and people of color accounted for a disproportionately large share of votes for Biden, not Trump. https://t.co/EtmJ4nzIN0
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) May 10, 2021

More on Arizona’s bogus audit

Biden won. They refuse to accept it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Washington Post (@washingtonpost)

What the group running Arizona GOP's election audit tried to keep secret https://t.co/iUoFrPVkgf
— Jesse Rodriguez (@JesseRodriguez) April 30, 2021

The judge said he isn’t convinced that auditors, who were hired to recount the 2020 election ballots in Maricopa County, Ariz., are upholding voter secrecyhttps://t.co/GP6WBHKJfn
— POLITICO (@politico) April 28, 2021

In my career I have participated in more than a dozen state-wide recounts and audits. Nothing that is happening in Arizona resembles a legitimate recount or audit.
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) April 28, 2021

You lost Arizona, former President Trump. Arizona election officials and Governor @dougducey followed the law in certifying that loss. That's how representative democracy works.https://t.co/Z9OrSqs9F0
— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) April 26, 2021

Trump-supporting Republicans concerned about election security and transparency, want to restore conservative voters’ confidence …

By conducting a secret audit with secret methods w/ no transparency and run by a conspiracy theorist with no experience.https://t.co/4RjDJmpNIQ
— Nicolas Falacci (@NickFalacci) April 26, 2021

It’s not baffling. They don’t want people to vote.
— Harris Levy (@HarrisL585) April 26, 2021

The disgusting Arizona recount

There was no mass fraud in 2020 but Republicans keep trying to prove there was. This is disgraceful.

BREAKING 'We are very concerned that auditors are engaged in ongoing & imminent violations of
federal voting & election laws': Elections experts call on US Department of Justice to send election monitors to Arizona Senate Republicans' audit of 2020 vote. https://t.co/25wAli45rk pic.twitter.com/jbajmbizOb
— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) April 29, 2021

As Trump seizes on Arizona ballot audit, election officials fear partisan vote counts could be the norm in future elections https://t.co/IgswbhH4LB
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 29, 2021

We all know this isn't a recount. Democracies don't recount ballots 3 months after an election is certified, in secret, with no accountability for the methodology & with sketchy private funding. This is the start of a new big lie about voter fraud & the time to expose it is now. https://t.co/ZLFSO48pAb
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) April 27, 2021

GOP lawmakers in Arizona took possession of all ballots in its most populous county, and the machines that counted them, for an audit run by a consultancy with no election experience. Its owner has shared unfounded 2020 election conspiracy theories. https://t.co/HJ4bOX5rRJ
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) April 25, 2021

“We have Republican officials who are not willing to speak truth to their own constituents … here they are with our ballots. There are no city officials around, there are no state officials around,” Laurie Roberts says on the AZ election “audit.”https://t.co/Lo0FsYWJGA
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 24, 2021

Almost half a year after the election Donald Trump lost, the audit that Arizona Republicans promised has become a partisan snipe hunt. https://t.co/smQN1hHId4
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 25, 2021

The Big Lie is here to stay

Most Republicans will never admit that Biden won a fair election. This is very harmful. They won’t negotiate with him if they don’t think he is legitimate. From now on, I expect Republicans will never accept the results if they lose. They’re still doing a 2020 recount in Arizona. I expect school textbooks in red states to say the election was stolen. This will be similar to the way that the South has a different view of the Civil War.

A new CNN poll shows 30% of Americans don't think President Biden legitimately won enough votes in November to be elected. Among Republicans, that number jumps to 70%. @JohnKingCNN explains the impact on Biden's agenda and election laws around the country. pic.twitter.com/d6MUHdkHFs
— Inside Politics (@InsidePolitics) April 30, 2021

February (left). Now (right). pic.twitter.com/Az2iuhKDZV
— Paul Farhi (@farhip) April 30, 2021

70% of Republicans said Biden "did not legitimately win enough votes" in new CNN poll

So, yeahhttps://t.co/8WdeecsTaD
— Chris Cillizza (@ChrisCillizza) April 30, 2021

New poll from @CBSNews @FaceTheNation (@YouGov) shows 70% of Republicans still believe Trump's Big Lie that Biden is not the legitimate winner of the White House. It still shocks & disgusts me that millions of Americans would embrace such a dangerous untruth.
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) April 25, 2021

Trump supporters could be incited to future violence by his continued promotion of 2020 election lies, the Justice Department and judges say https://t.co/GhWhp14f3R
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 24, 2021

It's been six months and the futility of linking to all of the long-debunked claims that people pop up with is obvious. That's how beliefs like the one tracked by CNN take hold: the right-wing information system provides enough energy to weather efforts to inject reality.
— Philip Bump (@pbump) April 30, 2021

Public Religion Research Institute poll clearly identifies ground zero for Donald Trump's election lie

was the 2020 election stolen from Trump?

white evangelicals: 61% yes

everyone else: 24% yes
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) May 17, 2021

Big lie as campaign speech applause line https://t.co/lOFfspIxXl pic.twitter.com/Buv7EDXeHQ
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) May 17, 2021

Albuquerque turns the Trump campaign unpaid bills over to a debt collector

Good for them. Trump stiffed several cities in 2020. We must make sure he never does this again.

6/6/22 – Trump still hasn’t paid the bills.

Officials in @CityOfMemphis don't want to provide police protection for Donald Trump during his upcoming visit: https://t.co/WugUcQtkbj

This is why: https://t.co/t9XwGH1Pig
— Dave Levinthal (@davelevinthal) June 6, 2022

Oddly, all the campaign’s bills at Trump Hotel DC, Mar-a-Lago, Doral, Bedminster and Trump Tower seem to have gotten paid pretty promptly.

Wonder what the difference could be. https://t.co/oJHfIwi6wJ
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) April 23, 2021

City of Albuquerque refers Trump campaign bill to collection agency https://t.co/EGCPf20ZNY
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) April 23, 2021

Trump Campaign Bill Sent to Mar-a-Lago, Referred to Collections Agency (businessinsider.com)

Trump’s Campaign Paid One City’s Police Bill but Others Keep Waiting (businessinsider.com)

The Trump cult will never admit Biden won a fair election

This total disregard of facts is terrible for our country.

Nearly half (45%) of @GOP voters say the Jan. 6 insurrectionists "had a point" when they violently attacked the United States Capitol.

Almost 8-in-10 Republicans (78%) are still convinced Joe Biden stole the 2020 election. https://t.co/bVANs4SJrI
— Max Burns (@themaxburns) April 16, 2021