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Michigan AG to GOP on voter fraud evidence: ‘Put up or shut up’

Lawmakers hear wild claims of fraud with no evidence

FILE - In this March 18, 2019, file photo, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel attends an event in Clawson, Mich. Enbridge Inc. said Friday, March 6, 2020, it has hired companies to design and build a disputed oil pipeline tunnel beneath the channel linking Lakes Huron and Michigan, despite pending legal challenges. Nessel is appealing a Michigan Court of Claims ruling in October 2019 that upheld an agreement between Enbridge and former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's administration to drill the tunnel through bedrock beneath the straits. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya File) (Paul Sancya, Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

DETROIT – One day after Rudy Giuliani and several witnesses pushed voter fraud conspiracy theories before the Michigan House Oversight Committee, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says it’s time to “put up or shut up” in regards to offering actual evidence.

On Wednesday evening, Giuliani made, without being under oath, wild claims of “massive cheating,” specifically by Detroit Democrats, that he said resulted in 500,000 to 700,000 “illegal” votes. Despite Republicans’ questioning of vote counting in the city, there is no evidence to show such a discrepancy.

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Many of the claims in the hearing have already been refuted by election officials or ruled as incorrect or not credible by a judge who denied a motion to stop certification in Wayne County.

A judge denied the suit, ruling that the interpretation of events by the plaintiffs — who ascribed “sinister, fraudulent motives’ to the city and its election workers — was “incorrect and not credible.” Trump’s legal team and his allies have lost repeatedly in courts in Michigan and other states.

“Plaintiffs’ affiants did not have full understanding of TCF absent ballot tabulation,” Wayne County Judge Timothy Kenny said in a ruling last month.

Michigan’s Attorney General, who has noted the fact that no evidence has been submitted to law enforcement to support any voter fraud claims, again called for Republicans to deliver the evidence -- or to stop making claims.

In November, AG Nessel, responding to a wild claim by former state senator Patrick Colbeck, said Colbeck never filed any complaint of election fraud, despite claiming to have evidence.

“Colbeck’s assertions aside, intentionally making a false claim of criminal activity to law enforcement is itself a crime. It’s been my experience that is often the reason certain reports are not made,” Nessel said.

In Detroit, Biden won 240,936 votes to Trump’s 12,889. Four years ago, Hillary Clinton received 234,871 votes to Trump’s 7,682. Election results have already been certified in Michigan.

There is no evidence of wholesale fraud in the election. In fact, election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed there were no serious irregularities. None of the legal challenges, like GOP challengers being unable to scrutinize the counting of absentee ballots in Detroit, have shown evidence that the election outcome was impacted.

AG Barr: No evidence of voter fraud that’d change election outcome


About the Author
Ken Haddad headshot

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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