Expect False Michigan Election Claims Wednesday, Benson Warns

MICHIGAN — Members of Congress are expected to parrot previously debunked false claims of election fraud on Wednesday in a partisan attempt to discredit Michigan’s election, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson warned Michiganders Tuesday.

“This was the most successful election in our state’s history, in which a record-setting 5.5 million citizens cast ballots, and clerks and election workers processed every vote meticulously, fairly and efficiently, despite the challenges of the pandemic,” Benson said Tuesday.

Congress meets Wednesday to certify the Nov. 3 election results through an official count, and while the task is typically mundane, a series of claims of election fraud that have been unfounded could make things a little abnormal.

Several officials have declared that there has been no evidence of widespread election fraud in Michigan or several other states President Trump has claimed were won by him and not Biden. President Trump’s former U.S. Attorney General William Barr, the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and election officials of both political parties have all said at various points that the 2020 General Election was clear of misconduct.

Michigan and local election officials have conducted more than 100 post-election audits, all of which have demonstrated the integrity of Michigan’s election, Benson said.

“By making false claims that undermine voters’ faith in our election, these elected officials demonstrate their shameless willingness to prioritize personal and partisan politics over the good of our country,” Benson said. “They dishonor every citizen who voted and the thousands of public servant election clerks and volunteer election workers who carried out this successful election.”

In Michigan, two Republican congressmen have already said they will not support certifying the election results for Biden.

U.S. Reps. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, and Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, joined a group of Republicans who say they plan to challenge the electoral votes in several states won by Biden based on unfounded election fraud claims they said have caused millions of Americans to lose faith in the election system.

Even if Congress does certify the general election results, there remains speculation that Vice President Mike Pence could throw out the votes. President Donald Trump has been pressuring Pence to use his powers to throw out the votes, according to the New York Times.

In a recent Washington Post story, it was revealed that Trump asked Georgia election officials to "find" enough votes for him to defeat Biden in the state.