Jacob Ogles
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Joe Gruters met last week with controversial lawyer Sidney Powell in Sarasota. While not embracing specific accusations Powell has made against election officials around the country, he characterized his conversation as informative.
“It’s important to listen to every side and she brought up a lot of good points,” Gruters told Florida Politics. “It’s important to hear all sides and see what really happened.”
Powell worked on the legal team for former President Donald Trump as he challenged the results of the 2020 election after losing to Democrat Joe Biden. She has over the course of the last 13 months made accusations of foreign players hacking and switching votes in election machines and promulgated other theories courts have found no evidence to support.
At one point last November, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani issued a statement distancing the campaign legal team from Powell after she made incorrect statements, including saying Georgia had used software created at the direction of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and that election servers for U.S. elections were housed in Germany. But despite the distancing, Powell also reportedly consulted with the former President, who considered naming her to a Special Counsel position to investigate alleged election irregularities.
All this occurred during a buildup to a riot on Jan. 6 when pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to try to stop congressional certification of Biden’s victory.
Gruters condemned that violence but has taken on a role with the Republican National Committee pushing for election integrity in states across the union.
On Nov. 23 he shared a picture of himself and his wife, Sydney, along with former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris and Powell.
“Great night and conversations with Sarasota’s Katherine Harris and Sidney Powell,” he wrote.
Harris, who famously fought efforts to overturn Republican George W. Bush’s 537-vote victory in Florida during the 2000 presidential election, declined to comment about the conversation.
“I have absolutely no interest with ever talking with the press again,” she said.
Notably, Democrats in that election wanted Harris to hold off on certifying the election results while further legal battles over recounts were waged. Powell, by contrast, has continued a push for auditing election results in swing states Trump lost more than a year after states certified results.
Gruters now said he supports such audits, while he has not supported one in Florida, where Trump won.
Asked if Powell has convinced him the 2020 election was stolen, Gruters said he has concerns about election integrity.
“Listen, I think there are a lot of legitimate questions that are outstanding,” Gruters said. “I am in favor of auditing states where people have found issues.”
An audit of Arizona’s election results, overseen by Sarasota firm Cyber Ninjas, identified irregularities, but when looking at the election results actually found a net gain of votes for Biden and confirmed his victory.
Trump has sought audits in states across the country, continuing to argue the results were fraudulent.
A state Senator, Gruters supported an election bill passed last year in the state, even as he has said the process here was a model for other states to follow.
“We’ve been working on that and have been successful,” he said. “We’ve proposed another bill. It’s about doing what’s right so we have the voter confidence we need.”
https://twitter.com/JoeGruters/status/1463302027501580289
24 comments
Ocean Joe
December 1, 2021 at 5:27 pm
Kathryn Harris, Sidney Powell a totally unappetizing combo…pass the pepto! Hope Donald doesn’t find out.
https://www.salon.com/2021/10/02/kraken-lawyer-sidney-powell-unwelcome-at-resorts–they-wont-even-answer-her-calls-report_partner/
Dave
December 5, 2021 at 2:26 am
Your article is factually incorrect about the Arizona audit. Although the “count” found a handful more of “Biden votes” it also pointed out that there were so many duplicate votes, fraudulent votes and improperly counted votes that far exceeded the vote differential, the Electoral should have been recalled. Plus, this is still an ongoing investigation but like many other things 2020 there is so much corruption, blackmail and bribery flying around the truth has been mired in the swamp of lies. So, I would suggest a correction to your piece for the sake of accuracy.
Barbara Lee
December 5, 2021 at 7:17 am
Agree
Mike Cooper
December 5, 2021 at 7:37 am
Agree
reg cole
December 5, 2021 at 11:17 am
Amen
Cam
December 7, 2021 at 2:48 am
The partisan fishing expedition only found “irregularities” they cranks couldn’t explain that were explained by the County. No fraud was found. It’s cute you peddle this nonsense while calling others to change the facts for “accuracy.”
Don Tibbs
December 9, 2021 at 1:38 pm
Please explain to me whu the routers and Dominion machines have been withheld from Cyber Ninjas in AZ and now have been illegally erased. What are they hiding?
Cam
December 9, 2021 at 4:26 pm
Routers are not needed for audits, not that this was an actual audit which are not conducted by unqualified partisans with agendas. Don’t need the machines either which were already inspected prior to the election and given two independent audits earlier this year.
Nothing has been illegally erased on Dominion machines or elsewhere. Files were archived as is the norm.
Phak yu
December 5, 2021 at 2:49 am
😂 “net gain” for Biden. Your heads so far up your ass, it’s sad.
Cam
December 7, 2021 at 2:48 am
The truth seems to have hurt someone’s feelings.
Hunger4Truth
December 5, 2021 at 6:01 am
Mr. Ogles.
The reason you just spread inaccurate information in this story—hopefully unintentionally—is because you’re getting your information from CNN and/or other main stream media, most stories of which are misleading at best and outright made-up at worst. I know that’s a hard pill to swallow, but if you genuinely hunger for truth, you’ll gag it down—and discover you (along with everyone else on earth) have been consuming lies your entire life. Then hopefully you’ll be appalled that you’ve also been spreading them, as you just did about the Maricopa audit.
You’ll either reject the idea you may have been mislead all these years—and remain an unknown journalist forever—or you’ll consider the possibility I’m right, dig a little deeper, discover I AM right—and explode into the spotlight when you start bringing objective truth to the table. Shamefully, the truth is a rare and beautiful thing in today’s journalism landscape. No one’s digging for it, much less reporting it, save for Ivory Hecker and a few other independent journalist heroes who have discovered what I’m offering to you now.
I wish you the best.
Cam
December 7, 2021 at 2:53 am
Trumper propagandist says what?
You’re not right. You’re fully of it which is typical to say the least.
Projogger
December 5, 2021 at 8:11 am
You need to correct the spelling of her name. At times you spell it as “Sydney” and others you spell it as “Sidney”.
Even if your article is 100% accurate, it’s hard to take you seriously when you don’t get the spelling right.
Kathy Jennings
December 5, 2021 at 8:26 am
Hard to find credibility in a journalist that spells someone’s name two different ways, even in the same article, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and read it all. Glad to see Sidney out and about and the fact someone was giving her the same grace after her own blunders, if that’s what you want to call it.
Travis Wade
December 5, 2021 at 10:31 am
An audit of Arizona’s election results, overseen by Sarasota firm Cyber Ninjas, identified irregularities, but when looking at the election results actually found a net gain of votes for Biden and confirmed his victory.
This is 100% false and being used to spin a lie:
Here is shat the forensic audit in AZ found:
Among his discoveries are:
For more than 255,000 early ballots, the early voting returns file did not match the county final vote file.
Over 9,000 mail-in votes were received and counted, exceeding the county’s official total.
A canvass revealed almost 3,400 more votes than reported.
On election day, there were 1,551 more votes cast than voters.
Despite relocating to Maricopa County after the October 5 deadline, over 23,000 voted via mail.
2,382 people voted in person in Maricopa County after moving away.
For moving out of state less than 29 days before the election, almost 2,000 voters were granted a complete ballot instead of a presidential-only ballot.
Almost 300 dead people reportedly have voted.
Nearly 2,500 votes were reported as uncast in the early voting results.
reg cole
December 5, 2021 at 11:21 am
Thank you. Also, there was no riot on Jan 06 when Trump supporters invaded the capital. This journalist is a sell-out to the deep state.
Cam
December 7, 2021 at 2:51 am
You can lie through you teeth but it doesn’t change reality.
Cam
December 7, 2021 at 2:51 am
You are the one peddling lies. First, there is no such thing as a forensic audit of votes, and actual audits are not conducted by unqualified, partisan cranks with agendas. Beyond that, the baloney you quote was nothing more than things the karate kids didn’t understand. All of their BS was explained by the County.
DrAtsabNikcuf
December 5, 2021 at 11:18 am
November 3d, 2020, was a treasonous insurrection which effectively overthrew the United States government.
The 14th Ammendment, Section 4, says, ~”But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.”
Therefore, any taxes, rules, mandates, regulations, guidelines, requirements; executive orders, bills, or laws, which have been enacted by this illegal government are also illegal and void.
DO NOT COMPLY. It is not only your 14th Ammendment right, but your obligation as a US citizen.
CarlYauk
December 5, 2021 at 8:40 pm
I totally agree!
In addition, if you bought any goods and later it was determined that these items were STOLEN do you have a right to keep them or be reimbursed? How can the actions of an illegally elected President be valid?
Cam
December 7, 2021 at 2:56 am
Trumper propaganda and disinformation doesn’t result in anything but defeat for you people. Not sure why you keep peddling it.
Ray Casino
December 5, 2021 at 2:19 pm
The courts never found any evidence of fraud is because they refused to hear or look at any evidence at all. To me, you don’t exist because I never met you.
Cam
December 7, 2021 at 2:52 am
This is a demonstrable lie as dozens of courts heard Trump’s so-called evidence. Peddling this must make Trumpers sleep better at night.
Cam
December 7, 2021 at 2:58 am
The Trump clan is very happy to spew agitprop here which is no big surprise. To those who care about facts:
https://www.azmirror.com/2021/10/07/maricopa-county-audit-response-slams-claims-as-false-and-misleading/
https://www.azmirror.com/2021/10/01/audit-expert-shiva-ayyadurai-didnt-understand-election-procedures-he-made-a-number-of-false-signature-claims/
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