LANSING – Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson are denouncing a letter sent by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to Wayne County Clerk Cathy M. Garrett demanding the production of 2024 November election materials, including all ballots, ballot receipts, and ballot envelopes. The letter, which threatens a court order if the county does not comply with the request, is the latest in a troubling pattern of DOJ search warrants and demands for election material in Arizona, Georgia, and Missouri.
In its letter, the DOJ attempts to justify its request by citing three isolated instances of state-prosecuted voter fraud cases related to the 2020 election, and a civil case which was dismissed by now-retired Chief Judge Timothy Kenny from the Wayne County Circuit Court. Each of the criminal cases were identified as suspicious by local clerks, referred to Michigan’s Bureau of Elections for investigation and successfully prosecuted by the Department of Attorney General. Claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election referenced in the letter from Costantino v. Detroit have been discredited and rejected by the court, which found the allegations to be “incorrect and not credible.”
None of the cases highlighted as examples of fraud were from the 2024 election cycle.
“Once again, President Trump is weaponizing the Justice Department in an attempt to sabotage our democratic process and turn it into his own personal agency to interfere in state elections. This request is as absurd as it is baseless,” said Attorney General Dana Nessel. “Successful convictions underline that Michigan’s safeguards work and that instances of voter fraud are rare and addressed. Using these prosecutions and recycling debunked 2020 election conspiracy theories as justification to demand copies of the ballots of Michigan residents is a clear attempt to bully clerks and spread fear, even after Donald Trump won Michigan in 2024. If this administration wants to bring this circus to our state, my office is prepared to protect the people’s right to vote.”
“Michigan’s elections are safe and secure, and any attempt to suggest otherwise is an attempt to take away Michiganders’ constitutional right to vote,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “More than 1,600 locally elected clerks across Michigan ensure that every citizen can vote and have their vote counted. This demand is a poorly disguised attempt to justify more doubt and misinformation about our elections as well as direct federal interference. Let’s keep working together to uphold the rule of law and protect voting rights.”
"This is the Trump administration’s latest attempt to interfere in our elections," said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. "Their goal is to sow seeds of doubt about the legitimacy of the results this November and in 2028. We won’t be intimidated by these tactics. We stand with Wayne County to ensure we protect the integrity of our elections and the privacy of Michigan voters. And we are ready to do the same with any other Michigan clerks DOJ threatens in this way. As always, we will follow the law and fight to protect our secure, accessible election system against this administration’s ongoing abuse of power."
In response, Attorney General Nessel sent a letter to Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, urging her to uphold the rule of law and reject the Trump administration’s fishing expeditions into the debunked conspiracies.
