Topline
State officials in Michigan and Arizona moved forward this week with efforts to investigate GOP attempts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election—including by former President Donald Trump himself—as Republicans continue to push claims of electoral fraud and launch their own efforts to investigate the election through controversial partisan audits.
Key Facts
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel opened an investigation Thursday into election fraud claims in Antrim County, Michigan, that were widely pushed by the GOP, Nessel’s Press Secretary Lynsey Mukomel confirmed to Forbes, after the state Senate Oversight Committee asked the AG to investigate “those who have been utilizing misleading and false information about Antrim County to raise money or publicity for their own ends.”
The Republican-led committee issued a report stating those claims of election fraud—which alleged votes for Trump had been intentionally switched with votes for President Joe Biden—were so baseless as to be “indefensible,” and all fraud theories stemming from the Antrim County allegations “are diminished so significantly as for it to be a complete waste of time to consider them further.”
Mukomel did not confirm the details of the investigation, but the Associated Press notes potential targets could include attorney Matthew DePerno and former state Sen. Patrick Colbeck, who played lead roles in pushing the Antrim County claims.
Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, sent a letter Wednesday to Republican state AG Mark Brnovich calling for an investigation into whether Trump and allies including Rudy Giuliani, far-right attorney Sidney Powell and Arizona GOP chair Kelli Ward violated state law prohibiting interference in elections.
The Arizona Republic reported Trump and his allies privately contacted Maricopa County Board of Supervisors members as part of a pressure campaign pushing baseless claims about issues with the election and trying to persuade the county to stop counting ballots.
Brnovich’s office told Forbes it had received Hobbs’ letter but declined comment on whether the AG would launch an investigation, and Hobbs requested Brnovich refer the request to another law enforcement agency should the Republican’s “ethical duties prevent you from investigating this matter.”
Tangent
In addition to Michigan and Arizona’s potential investigation, both state and county officials in Georgia are investigating Trump’s efforts to allegedly interfere in the state’s election and his call with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger telling him to “find” votes for him. GOP efforts to overturn the election results and push claims about election fraud are also now the target of numerous ongoing legal proceedings, including multiple defamation lawsuits brought by voting machine companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, motions for sanctions and attorneys fees against lawyers who brought post-election lawsuits and investigations that could result in the disbarment of Giuliani and far-right attorney Lin Wood.
Crucial Quote
“Citizens should be confident the results represent the true results of the ballots cast by the people of Michigan,” Michigan’s Senate Oversight Committee wrote in their report on the election that recommended Nessel open an investigation, adding it “strongly recommends citizens use a critical eye and ear toward those who have pushed demonstrably false theories for their own personal gain.” “Citizens should demand reasonable updates and reforms to close real vulnerabilities and unlawful activities that caused much of the doubt and questionability to flourish and could, if unchecked, be responsible for serious and disastrous fraud or confusion in the future.”
Key Background
Trump and his allies launched a widespread effort to challenge Biden’s wins in battleground states in the immediate aftermath of the election, including through dozens of failed legal challenges and publicly alleging election fraud. Multiple audits, investigations and statistical analyses have found there was no widespread fraud in the election, but Trump and other Republicans have continued to push the claims. Arizona Republicans launched a privately funded audit of Maricopa County’s election results that has been heavily criticized for how it’s being run—which could violate federal law—and for potentially sowing distrust in the election result. Despite those concerns, the trend is now spreading to other Republicans nationwide, with Wisconsin and Pennsylvania lawmakers launching their own investigations. While Michigan’s Senate Oversight Committee determined in their election report that an Arizona-style audit in the state “is not justifiable,” local officials in Cheboygan County have approved an audit of their results despite Trump’s win there.
Further Reading
Michigan AG to probe people making money off election claims (Associated Press)
'We need you to stop the counting': Records detail intense efforts by Trump allies to pressure Maricopa County supervisors (Arizona Republic)
Georgia Secretary Of State Investigating Trump’s Attempts To Overturn Election (Forbes)
