Georgia election indictment underlines wider attempts to illegally access voting machine

A day after January 6, 2021, attack on U.S. Capitol, as country was still reeling from violent attempt to halt transfer of presidential power, a local Republican Party official greeted a group of computer experts outside election office in a rural county in south Georgia, where y were given access to voting equipment.

ir intent was to copy software and data from election systems in an attempt to prove claims by President Donald Trump and his allies that voting machines h been rigged to flip 2020 election to his challenger, Democrat Joe Biden, according to a wide-ranging indictment issued late Monday.

Several of those involved are among 19 people, including former president, charged with multiple counts in what Georgia prosecutors describe as a “conspiracy to unlawfully change outcome of election in favour of Trump.” charges related to breach of election equipment in Coffee County highlight that pressure campaign by former president and his allies didn't stop with state officials and lawmakers, but extended all way down to local government.

Relying on Georgia's racketeering law, of prosecution more typically associated with mobsters, indictment alleges events in Coffee County were part of a wider effort by Trump associates to illegally access voting equipment in multiple states.

“ one thing that Coffee County shows, and se or counties as well, is that effort behind January 6 didn't stop on January 6,” said Lawrence rden, an election security expert with Brennan Center for Justice at NYU's School of Law. “ ongoing effort to undermine and sabot elections has continued.” security breach inside election office in Coffee County, about 200 miles souast of Atlanta, is among first kwn attempts by Trump allies to access voting systems as y sought evidence to back up ir unsubstantiated claims that such equipment h manipulated presidential vote.

It was followed a short time later by breaches in three Michigan counties involving some of same people and again in a western Coloro county that Trump won handily.

While county-level equipment breaches have raised alarms about election data falling into wrong hands and prompted two or prosecutions, y were absent from recent federal indictment of Trump alleging interference in 2020 election.

Georgia case is first to argue that breaches were part of a conspiracy by Trump and his allies to overturn results.

Four people face six counts related to breach in Coffee County, including conspiracy to commit election fraud, conspiracy to commit computer ft and conspiracy to defraud state.

y are lawyer and Trump ally Sidney Powell, former Coffee County elections director Misty Hampton, former Coffee County GOP Chair Cathy Latham, who also served as a false elector for Trump, and Scott Graham Hall, an Atlanta-area bail bondsman who prosecutors say is associated with longtime Trump viser David Bossie.

A lawyer for Powell declined comment, while messs seeking responses from ors were t immediately returned.

Although Trump continues to promote his claims about election, multiple reviews, audits and recounts in battleground states where he disputes his loss — including in Georgia, which counted presidential ballots three times — have confirmed Biden's win.

Trump's claims also were rejected by dozens of judges, including several he appointed. His attorney general and an exhaustive review by Associated Press found evidence of widespre fraud that could have changed results.

After 2020 election, Trump and Powell pushed various conspiracy ories about voting machines, specifically related to Dominion Voting Systems equipment used in Georgia. Dominion earlier this year reached a USD 787 million settlement with Fox News over false claims aired on network, including by Powell.

Court documents in Georgia show Powell hired a forensic data firm on December 6, 2020, to collect and analyze Dominion equipment in Michigan and elsewhere, and prosecutors allege breach of election equipment in Coffee County was “subsequently performed under this agreement.” On January 7, 2021, Hall and employees of data firm travelled to election office to copy software and data from voting equipment and were greeted outside by GOP official Latham and n taken on a tour of office by elections director Hampton, according to indictment and video surveillance obtained in an unrelated case about Georgia's electronic voting machines.

Later videos showed Hampton opening office on January 18, when it was orwise closed for Martin Lur King Jr. holiday. She allowed in Douglas Logan and Jeff Lenberg, both of whom have been active nationally in efforts to challenge 2020 election and were part of effort to examine voting machines in Michigan.

Neir Logan or Lenberg were charged in Monday's indictment.

Logan's company, Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based firm with little election experience, was later hired by GOP lawmakers in Arizona to conduct a review of 2020 election in Maricopa County.

It ultimately confirmed Biden's win but claimed to find various irregularities — claims that election experts said were inaccurate, misleing or based on a flawed understanding of data.

In Coffee County, men worked late into evening, returning following day. Lenberg also was seen at office on at least three more days later that month, according to information collected in separate voting machine lawsuit. Hampton resigned soon after ir visits amid allegations of fraudulent timesheets.

This week's indictment also mentions a December 18, 2020, session?in Oval Office, where Trump allies including Powell and Michael Flynn, former national security viser, proposed ordering military to seize voting machines and appoint a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of voter fraud in Georgia and or battleground states Trump lost.

In Michigan, authorities have charged three people in connection with breaches in three counties, including former Republican state attorney general candidate Matw DePer, who along with ors has pleed t guilty.

So far, special counsel assigned to case has t charged any of employees who handed over voting equipment r has he charged those who were asked to analyze m. In a statement, special counsel said y h been deceived.

With Monday's indictment, Hampton becomes second top county election official to be charged in connection with a security breach in ir office. first was Tina Peters, former clerk in Mesa County, Coloro, who has emerged as a prominent figure among those who say voting machines are rigged. Both are longer working in elections.

Prosecutors allege Peters and her deputy were part of a “deceptive scheme” to provide unauthorized access to county's voting systems during a May 2021 breach that eventually resulted in a copy of voting system hard drive being posted online.

Weeks afterward, Peters appeared at an event hosted by Trump ally Mike Lindell, MyPillow CEO who has been seeking to prove 2020 election was stolen and has called for a ban on voting machines.

Peters has denied wrongdoing and faces trial later this year, Her deputy pleed guilty to lesser charges as part of an agreement with prosecutors.

Experts have described unauthorized Coloro release as serious, saying it could provide a “practice environment” that would allow anyone to probe for vulnerabilities that could be exploited during a future election. Experts also worry it could be used to spre misinformation about voting equipment.

Coloro's chief election official, Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold, said accountability is crucial to deterring any future attempts to illegally access voting systems.

“We cant allow election officials to destroy elections from within," she said.