Hours after Trump published the letter, Sam Taylor, assistant secretary for communications, released a statement stating that the office had already started the process of reviewing 2020 ballots in the two largest Democrat and two biggest Republican counties of the state: Collin, Harris, Tarrant, and Tarrant. Trump won Collin County and Biden won Tarrant, Harris, and Dallas counties in 2020.
In an interview with Fox News Sunday Abbott stated that audits started months ago, a statement which echoed claims made by the secretary of state.
Renae Eze (press secretary for the governor), stated that state audits by the Texas Secretary-of-States office have been ongoing for several months. Federal law only requires county election officials to keep the materials for 22 months. It is important that all aspects of 2020 elections are reviewed before counties dispose them off in September 2022.
According to CNN and Texas Tribune, officials from counties affected by the audit claimed that they did not know of the review until Thursday's statement from the secretary-states office.
Trump's letter did not mention audits that were already in progress. This caught the Texas governors office off guard. Trump had not spoken to Abbott before the release. Abbott's office was unsure if it could meet Trump's demands that HB16 be passed without complicating the legislative agenda. According to a Texas political aide, the secretary of state's decision to request audits in Texas' four largest counties was based on Trump's reference to Gov. Abbott.
The aide stated that there was a rush to find out if Trump really meant his statement.
The scramble of Abbott's team to placate Trump showed how Trump and his election conspiracies continue set the rules for all other GOP elected officials.
Trump won Texas by six percentage points, more than 600,000 votes, in the 2020 election. This raises questions about why he would want to audit the results. The secretary of states office's decision, which was vacant for months, has prompted criticisms about the erosion of public trust in elections as well as the misuse of taxpayer funds.
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After the Texas Senate rejected Ruth Ruggero Hughs' confirmation, Ruth Ruggero Hughs was forced to resign as Texas secretary-state in May 2021. The governor will now choose the next top election officer in Texas, who will be empowered by the new Republican elections bill.
A deputy to Hughs stated earlier this year that Texas had an easy and secure election.
Taylor stated in a statement that he expected funds to be provided by the state legislature for the audit. The governor supported the audits in his Fox News interview.
On Fox News Sunday, Abbott stated that while we audit all things in the world, people raise their concerns when we audit elections. This is fundamental to democracy. It is our responsibility to ensure integrity and confidence in elections in Texas.
Trumps push for Texas to hold an audit came one day before a Republican-commissioned report was released in the state of Arizona concerning a so-called audit there. This effort was widely criticized for being the work of conspiracy theorists who wanted to win the state over to Trump. The final report confirmed President Joe Biden's victory and didn't find evidence of widespread voter fraud.
Democrats fear that audits and voting restriction legislations making their way through GOP statehouses could be used by Republicans to try to stop Trump's 2024 election challenge.
This report was contributed by Daniel Lippman
