AZ Senate President Defends Widely-Denounced ‘Audit’ in Bonkers CNN Interview: ‘Are You Saying OAN Is Not a Credible News Source?’

On Tuesday, CNN correspondent Kyung Lah chased down Arizona Senate President Karen Fann (R) for an impromptu parking lot interview after requesting an interview more than a dozen times. Fann has been among the most ardent proponents of the election “audit” currently being conducted in Maricopa County. The Republican-dominated state legislature authorized a Florida firm called Cyber Ninjas, which had never conducted an election audit before, to conduct the election “audit.”

At one point during this ongoing, weeks-long process, “auditors” were looking for evidence of bamboo fibers because, so went a conspiracy theory, some of the ballots had been flown in from Asia. In another instance, former state Rep. Anthony Kern (R), who was present at the Capitol riot on January 6, was identified as one of ballot counters.

Lah’s interview with the state senate president revealed an interesting insight into Fann’s reasoning behind supporting what the Republican-dominated Maricopa County Board of Supervisors called a “spectacle that is harming all of us” in a letter to Fann.

Fann: I don’t know what’s legit, what isn’t legit. But why wouldn’t we want to answer those questions?

Lah: Because you’re questioning democracy.

Fann: No, I’m questioning the integrity of the election system.

Lah: Which is the backbone of democracy.

Fann: That’s right, which means we should have full, 100% confidence in our democracy and in our election system.

Lah: But you’re talking about trying to disprove conspiracies.

Fann: If I have to, yes. Why wouldn’t we? If somebody says something is out there, I would love to be able to say, “That’s not true, guys.”

Fann seems to believe that any time someone makes a claim – no matter how wild or specious – it is incumbent upon others to disprove it, rather than the person making the allegation to prove it.

“Are you 100% confident,” asked Fann, “That every vote that came in, in Arizona or any other state, can you say emphatically 100% that no dead people voted, that ballots weren’t filled out by other people, that the chain of custody from the minute people voted – their ballots – that the chain of custody was accurate and on target the entire time? Can you tell me that?”

Fann’s question is a red herring of course. In a country where 155 million people voted in the last presidential election, no one anywhere can be “100% confident” that every single vote was on the level. Indeed, we have seen some instances, for example, of voters illegally casting ballots for Donald Trump in the 2020 election. But there has been absolutely zero evidence that there was anything remotely close to a level of fraud that would change the outcome of the election.

“When we talk about transparency,” said Fann, “From day one the entire process has been live-streaming, so anybody…”

“On OAN,” Lah interrupted, referencing the right-wing One America News Network, which has trafficked in election conspiracies. “With cameras controlled by OAN.”

“Are you saying that OAN is not a credible news source? Are you saying that?”

“Yes.”

“Ok. I’ll remember that. CNN is saying that OAN is not a credible one.”

“Yes.”

“Ok. Very good.”

As Lah pointed out in her report, OAN on-air personalities have fund-raised for the “audit.”

The Republican-controlled Board of Supervisors for Maricopa County has spoken out strongly against the “audit.” In a letter to Fann, its four Republicans and one Democrat wrote, “Our state has become a laughingstock.”

Watch above via CNN.