Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden by even more votes than initially believed, according to a review backed by Trump's allies in the Republican Party.
Donald Trump has made unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from himImage: Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images
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A Republican party-backed review of the 2020 US presidential election results in Arizona's largest country reaffirmed on Friday that Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden.
According to the report, Biden won the Maricopa County by about 45,000 votes, or 360 votes more than the official results.
"This means the tabulation equipment counted the ballots as they were designed to do, and the results reflect the will of the voters," Republican board chairman Jack Sellers said in a statement.
"That should be the end of the story. Everything else is just noise."
Just hours before the tally was made public, Trump said the nation was watching "to see what the highly respected auditors and Arizona State Senate found out."
"The audit was a big win for democracy and a big win for us. Shows how corrupt the election was," Trump claimed in a statement.
'Bias and incompetence'
Trump-friendly Republicans hired Florida-based cybersecurity firm Cyber Ninjas to look into the election outcome. The company has no experience in election audits.
The audit had been marred by complaints about its lack of transparency and unscientific methods from both Republicans and Democrats. While its report found "no substantial differences" between the official count and the group's hand count, the company made a series of dubious claims about the vote.
The Arizona review was marked by "bias and incompetence," said Trey Grayson, a Republican and the former top election official in Kentucky.
He expressed hope that it would prompt Republicans elsewhere to put a halt to similar initiatives.
"My hope is that people in other states will look at this and say this isn't worth our time and effort," Grayson said, criticizing the decision in Texas to "cherry-pick" mainly Democratic-leaning counties to review. "That's a tell."
Pro-Trump protesters storm US Capitol: In pictures
Supporters of President Donald Trump breached the US Capitol as lawmakers gathered to count electoral votes. Here's a look at some of the chaotic scenes in Washington as rioters clashed with security forces.
Image: Leah Millis/REUTERS
Protesters and police clash
Supporters of US President Donald Trump clash with police officers in front of the Capitol Building in Washington DC on January 6. Congress was holding a joint session to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College win over President Trump.
Image: Stephanie Keith/REUTERS
Angry protesters march towards the Capitol
Aggressive pro-Trump supporters rallied outside the US Capitol's Rotunda. Police tried to hold them back, but they breached security and forced their way into the building.
Image: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images
Forceful entry
An angry pro-Trump mob breaks into the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021, while Congress holds a joint session to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College win over President Trump.
Image: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Guns drawn
With guns drawn, US Capitol police officers watch as protesters try to break into the House Chamber, the inner-most room where legislators had convened to ratify the Electoral College vote.
Image: J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo/picture alliance
Standoff outside the Senate
Security officials try to hold off the rioters in the hallway outside the Senate chamber as lawmakers on the other side of the door are rushed to safety.
Image: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo/picture alliance
Taking over the Senate
After breaking through Capitol security, a protester rushes to the middle of the Senate chamber and screams "Freedom."
Image: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Invading the Senate chamber
A rioter manages to break through security, and jumps from the public gallery to the floor of the Senate chamber.
Image: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Taking shelter
People frantically searched for shelter in the House gallery, as the protesters tried to break into the House chamber. According to a White House reporter on the House floor, people were given gas masks that were under the seats.
Image: Andrew Harnik/AP Photo/picture alliance
Protesters move in
Pro-Trump supporters took over the offices vacated by lawmakers who had been rushed to safety.
Image: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
No holding back
Without police or security officials to hold them back, protesters walzed through the Rotunda and lawmaker's offices. This one carried away the lectern of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Image: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Tear gas against protesters
Security forces use tear gas on rioters rallying outside the US Capitol Building.
Image: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
Chaos in the Capitol
An explosion caused by a police munition goes off while pro-Trump supporters rally in front of the US Capitol building. Washington police and the national guard have been deployed to disperse the protesters.
Image: Leah Millis/REUTERS
Dispersing protesters
Members of the National Guard and Washington DC police have been deployed to the Capitol to disperse protesters. A city-wide curfew went into effect from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.
Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
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Similar audits in other states
Trump's allies have begun seeking similar investigations in other battleground states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan that the Republican firebrand lost.
Texas announced Thursday that the state had begun an audit of the presidential election in its four largest counties – Dallas, Harris, Tarrant, and Collin.
Although Trump won the state, Biden won three of those counties.
Meanwhile, many Republican-led states have passed at least 18 restrictive new voting laws this year, targeting mail-in voting, and other practices they say are needed to ensure election integrity.
