What we know about the firm hired by the GOP to review Pennsylvania's 2020 election

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HARRISBURG — More than a year after Joe Biden won the presidency, Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers in the state Senate announced they had signed a contract with Iowa-based Envoy Sage to lead their investigation of the 2020 election.

The review will cost taxpayers $270,000 for a period of six months, but the contract can be extended, spokesperson Jason Thompson said Friday. Work can begin as soon as Senate Chief Clerk Donetta D’Innocenzo signs, a formality that will happen shortly, Mr. Thompson said.

Republicans are moving forward with the review despite an active court fight over its legality. State Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and Senate Democrats have filed lawsuits seeking to block a GOP subpoena that demanded Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration turn over millions of voters’ data, including nonpublic information such as the last four digits of their Social Security number and driver’s license number.

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What do Democrats say?

“This is a bad faith action by the Senate Republican Caucus,” Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, said in a statement. “They agreed to wait, and then went ahead with hiring their own firm to carry out this political, unnecessary and costly witch hunt. They’ve unilaterally and prematurely acted to spend more than $250,000 in taxpayer money for this.”

He noted that the contract was being signed the same week state Senate Pro Tempore Jake Corman, the highest-ranking member of the Senate, announced his campaign for governor. “This is not good government; it is bad politics,” Mr. Costa said.