Trump ally asks Pennsylvania counties to submit to ‘forensic investigation’ of election

A Pennsylvania state senator on Wednesday called on several counties to provide information for a “forensic investigation” of the 2020 presidential election and the state’s primary for a series of state offices this past May. 

State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R), an ally of former President Trump, wrote in an op-ed on his senatorial website that he had sent letters to several counties “requesting information and materials needed to conduct a forensic investigation of the 2020 General Election and the 2021 Primary” as chair of the state Senate’s Intergovernmental Operations Committee.

Mastriano said the counties were asked to respond “with a plan to comply” by July 31, though he did not indicate which counties were sent letters. The Associated Press confirmed that York County received a letter.

The op-ed follows a report by The Associated Press on Friday that the Republican state senator had briefed colleagues on June 30 of his plans to launch an election audit in Pennsylvania.

The AP reported that he had held a private meeting with colleagues about having an election audit similar to that of Arizona. 

He had also reportedly reached out to a Philadelphia-based law firm seeking legal advice regarding the Senate Republican caucus using money from a private nonprofit to finance consultants and lawyers to be used in an investigation looking into the 2020 election results.

No concerns regarding widespread voter fraud from a county election board, state official or prosecutor have been raised, according to the AP.

Trump has repeatedly called for the 2020 election results to be reexamined, falsely claiming that the results were rigged or that there was widespread voter fraud.