Documents show a group from Michigan attempted to overturn the 2020 election by sending false documents to the state, the courts and the national archives.
The Jan. 6 committee said it is ramping up its investigation into what happened at the state level, especially in Michigan. These pieces of evidence into the efforts to undermine the vote are expected to be the first of many.
The documents were obtained by Politico and show that 16 Republicans forged and signed papers attempting to certify the election for former President Donald Trump.
Among those that signed was Kathy Brenden, a Republican National Committee member from Michigan, Shelby Township Clerk Stanley Grot, the MI-GOP Grassroots chair Merian Sheridan and current State Party co-chair Meshawn Maddock. Maddock was elected to her post after sending the fraudulent documents.
Maddock’s husband, Oakland County State Representative Matt Maddock, was among the group of 14 self-appointed electors who attempted to enter the Capitol during the certification process in 2020. The couple also helped charter buses to Washington D.C. for a “Stop the Steal” rally that would lead to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
The new documents also come on the heels of a new election audit from Macomb County, showing yet again that the vote in the county Trump won was safe and secure.
“Was there something in there that might have changed the score? The answer’s no. Nothing happened in those servers. Nothing happened in the communications. There is no malicious software,” Macomb County Clerk Anthony Forlini said.
Some of those false claims that the election was stolen are coming from the Macomb County Republican party, of which the county clerk is a member. The party has endorsed several candidates who have continued to lie about the results of the election.
Local 4 reached out to see if the party would rescind those endorsements, but did not get a comment back. The Republican party has not released a statement regarding the newly released documents.
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