Maricopa County Election Video Fuels New Claims Despite FBI Finding No Investigation Needed

“More shenanigans [are] going on at the Maricopa County Vote Tabulation Center,” Kari Lake wrote on X, adding, “It was only through divine intervention that this was discovered.”

Video Came From an Undisclosed Backup Camera

However, the video was not provided to the group through divine intervention. Jennifer Liewer, Maricopa County’s deputy elections director for public affairs, told WIRED that the clip came from an undisclosed backup livestream camera.

The camera was active but is not currently among the livestream cameras listed on the county website.

Although he was not authorized to discuss the recordings, a source familiar with the matter told WIRED that members of the We the People group obtained the cameras’ IP addresses years ago and were authorized to continue monitoring them. We the People did not respond to requests for comment.

County Says Election Workers Were Performing Authorized Tasks

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors issued a statement last week. The report debunked the claim, stating that employees were “performing authorized and necessary tasks of updating software and uploading election data to computer terminals not connected to the Internet or vote tabulation equipment.”

Shelby Bush, founder of We The People USA Alliance and head of the Republican National Committee, was not satisfied with the explanation. “I then contacted” Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap, Bush said, adding, “I agree with Trump.”

Heap’s office then contacted the FBI to investigate the matter, according to Heap’s chief of staff.

FBI Review Found Nothing to Investigate

The FBI asked investigators from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office to examine the matter but quickly concluded that there was nothing to investigate, according to a copy of the report. The finding was reported by 12News.

“Election integrity is one of the FBI’s top priorities, and we continue to work around the clock to pursue criminals who seek to undermine our institutions and the rule of law,” the FBI told WIRED.

The RNC and Bush did not respond to requests for comment.

Conspiracy Theories Continue Despite the Finding

The FBI’s review has not quelled conspiracy theories. On Thursday, Bush appeared on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, where he repeatedly claimed that something heinous had occurred. He also said he had contacted the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to seek further investigation.

“Can someone please get involved here?” Bannon replied.

The Department of Justice, DHS and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Why Maricopa County Remains a Target for Election Rumors

“Election rumors contain the same or very similar narrative tropes, making them easy for viewers to understand and remixable for rumor makers,” Starbird said. She pointed to bingo cards as an example of the recurring themes.

“Maricopa County has become a metaphorical and suspicious setting for election rumors, providing ready fodder for new rumors and conspiracy theories.”