Congress heats up on New Mexico tech company ‘audit’ investigation

A technology company involved in a controversial “audit” of the 2020 presidential election is refusing to turn over records to a congressional committee, claiming it was not involved in the worst of the allegations. about voter intimidation.

But a new letter from the House Oversight Committee argues to the contrary.

In January, commissioners in Otero County, New Mexico, voted to conduct an audit of the 2020 county election. Never mind that the county voted for Donald Trump, or that allegations of widespread voter fraud have been repeatedly unearthed — the commission awarded a nearly $50,000 contract to EchoMail, which had previously participated in the campaign. participated in another reputable audit in Maricopa County, Arizona. Part of EchoMail’s audit proposal involves contracting a conspiracy-promoting Telegram group called the New Mexico Auditor Force (NMAF), which will knock on the doors of Otero County and ask residents for votes. their 2020.

NMAF passersby have been accused of misrepresenting themselves during home visits, alarming federal and state officials, and a House Oversight Committee investigation. The House investigation, which kicked off March 16, is looking into whether the Otero County audit “unlawfully interfered with Americans’ right to vote by spreading false information about voting election and intimidation of voters.”

Now, EchoMail is refusing to participate in the congressional investigation, citing what Congress describes as a dubious argument.

“EchoMail does not perform any audits in Otero County and has been contracted to provide only a data warehouse system that includes professional services,” EchoMail CEO Shiva Ayyadurai wrote in a response to a congressional inquiry. He also denied any involvement in NMAF’s actions. (Neither he nor EchoMail immediately responded to requests for comment.)

House Oversight leaders are skeptical, a letter Wednesday to Ayyadurai showed. Specifically, the letter revealed that the leader of the NMAF, Erin Clements, called EchoMail by name when submitting a formal request for local and state documents.

“NMAF leader, Erin Clements, submitted a formal request for voter information to the Otero County Clerk’s Office and the State of New Mexico, where she stated that she was representing EchoMail,” the letter said. Insight notes. On a signed affidavit attached to that request, “Ms. Clements wrote that she was ‘representing EchoMail.’

In another affidavit, Clements wrote that she was requesting voter data “on behalf of EchoMail and the New Mexico Auditorium.” The letter also notes that Clements cited EchoMail’s contract with Otero County and listed EchoMail’s address as her own while submitting the request. When asking for the local ballot rolls, she wrote that they would be “used for analytical purposes to check as well as test to confirm the accuracy of the rolls authorized by the Otero County Commission. ”

The Oversight letter also highlights Ayyadurai’s longstanding relationship with Clements and her husband David, who is also the audit lead. On January 6, 2022, Ayyadurai and David Clements appeared together on a web of conspirators, where they discussed election audits and a trip to the Director’s “network symposium” MyPillow executive Mike Lindell on alleged voter fraud.

The letter also cites a January presentation by Clementses to the Otero County Commission in which the couple supported the county’s contract with EchoMail. The pair described NMAF’s work with EchoMail under the proposed contract. “No distinction was made in the presentation between the suggested actions of EchoMail and NMAF,” the letter from House Oversight notes.

The letter goes on to describe repeated instances in which NMAF describes itself as an EchoMail partner. It also revealed that Ayyadurai had been in contact with David Clements, who had previously called for a “fire squad” against those he believed had facilitated voter fraud.

“The committee also has reason to believe that you are communicating with Mr Clements directly,” the letter read, pointing to Clements’ own statement on Telegram, in which he described the alleged conversations with Ayyadurai.

Ayyadurai is a prominent supporter of election fraud conspiracy theories and participated in a similar “audit” of Maricopa County following Arizona’s 2020 election. During that audit, Ayyadurai and EchoMail quickly filed several complaints about alleged errors on Maricopa County ballots.

EchoMail and NMAF have been linked in other cases, not cited in House Oversight’s latest surveillance letter.

A recent draft proposal signed by all three Otero County commissioners also describes NMAF working with EchoMail during the audit. The proposal, if passed, would require NMAF passersby to clarify that they are not Otero County officials.

“We understand and appreciate that the New Mexico Audit Force partnered with Echomail to provide volunteer services during the implementation of the 2020 Election Audit directed by this committee,” the proposed date said. March 10 wrote.

The commissioners ultimately voted against the proposal, saying they feared it would hinder the canvassers’ efforts.

The NMAF also participated in the processing of physical ballots in an audit procedure earlier this month where the team worked alongside Otero County officials, Alamogordo Daily News reported. In recounting, Erin Clements describes herself as a “process supervisor.” […] monitor each payroll station. ”

At that event, Clements described her team as volunteering with EchoMail during the audit.

The House Oversight Committee is requesting EchoMail and Ayyadurai documents related to the Otero County inspection and intervention, including communications with Clementses, the NMAF, the Otero County trustees and a variety of “Stop Thieves” conspiracy theorist.

Despite EchoMail’s objections, House Oversight’s latest letter indicates that it has not given the company an extension to present the documents. They will still be due on Thursday, March 31.