Justice Department Demands Michigan County Turn Over 2024 Ballots

The Justice Department has demanded Wayne County, Michigan, to move complete each ballots from nan November 2024 election, different escalation of nan Trump administration's voting inquiries.

In a letter to nan main predetermination charismatic of Wayne County dated April 14, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon cited 3 convictions for predetermination fraud and 5 lawsuits against nan region that alleged predetermination fraud. Dhillon gave nan region 14 days to nutrient nan requested documents, which included ballots, ballot receipts, and ballot envelopes.

Trump carried Michigan connected his measurement to winning nan presidency successful 2024, though he mislaid solidly Democratic Wayne County, which is location to Detroit, by astir 250,000 votes.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, called nan petition “absurd” and “baseless” successful a statement.

“Once again, President Trump is weaponizing nan Justice Department successful an effort to sabotage our antiauthoritarian process and move it into his ain individual agency to interfere successful authorities elections,” she wrote successful a connection posted connected X. “If this management wants to bring this circus to our state, my agency is prepared to protect nan people’s correct to vote.”

Nessel said that nan convictions cited by Dhillon proved that Michigan’s predetermination safeguards were effective, adding that “the instances of elector fraud are uncommon and addressed.”

“Using these prosecutions and recycling debunked 2020 predetermination conspiracy theories arsenic justification to request copies of nan ballots of Michigan residents is simply a clear effort to bully clerks and dispersed fear, moreover aft Donald Trump won Michigan successful 2024,” Nessel said.

The Trump management truthful acold has requested voting records from 29 states and Washington, D.C.

The FBI subpoenaed predetermination records successful Maricopa County, Arizona, past period related to nan 2020 election. That came aft nan agency raided an elections hub successful Fulton County, Georgia, earlier successful nan year, seizing of records related to nan 2020 election.

The administration's inquiries travel arsenic Trump, who has agelong made mendacious claims astir wide elector fraud successful nan 2020 predetermination and Democratic areas much broadly, has sought exert greater national power complete elections.

He signed an executive bid past period seeking to create national lists of citizens arsenic a measurement to tighten mail-voting rules, drafting a flurry of lawsuits from Democrats and voting authorities advocates.

And earlier this year, Trump sparked siren among predetermination officials erstwhile he said Republicans should "take complete nan voting" successful astatine slightest 15 unspecified places.Article 1 of nan Constitution delegates powerfulness complete really elections are tally to nan states.