Report untangles the 'sophisticated, well-funded' web of dark money conservative groups pushing Trump's 'Big Lie'

Jane Mayer, author of the 2016 New York Times bestseller "Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right," is shedding light on how dark money donated by ultrarich conservatives has contributed to the tactics used to magnify former President Donald Trump's claims of widespread voter fraud.

In a piece published by The New Yorker, Mayer dissected the controversial election audit in Maricopa County, Ariz., as she explained why the effort is not as local as it may seem.

"Although the audit in Arizona may appear to be the product of local extremists, it has been fed by sophisticated, well-funded national organizations whose boards of directors include some of the country's wealthiest and highest-profile conservatives," Mayer wrote.

She went on to discuss the uses of dark money and how it has aided in promoting the falsehood of widespread voter fraud.

"Dark-money organizations, sustained by undisclosed donors, have relentlessly promoted the myth that American elections are rife with fraud, and, according to leaked records of their internal deliberations, they have drafted, supported, and in some cases taken credit for state laws that make it harder to vote," she wrote.

Experts are expressing concern about the efforts being made to upend election laws and dismantle the United States' democracy While Mayer largely highlighted the election audit in Arizona, there are many different states across the country where Republican lawmakers are taking aim at voting practices and election laws.