Benson refuses invitation to testify at House hearing
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has refused an invitation to testify before a House legislative committee, arguing the committee’s previous hearings with Rudy Giuliani and others show lawmakers are focused more on politics and undermining election integrity than on earnest reforms.
On Wednesday, Benson tweeted a copy of the letter sent to House Oversight Committee Chairman Matt Hall, R-Emmett Township. In a statement Wednesday, Hall said Benson was “playing cheap political games.”
Hall’s committee received international attention after Giuliani essentially commandeered portions of the more than four-hour proceeding, questioning his own witnesses while lawmakers largely watched. He used the misleading and inaccurate information provided during the hearing to argue state lawmakers must intervene in Michigan’s ultimate election outcome and give the state to President Donald Trump.
Noting some of this testimony, Benson argued the committee has the duty to publicly state the Michigan election was conducted fairly in order to combat misinformation spread during previous committee hearings.
“This is the truth, as certified by our (Board of State Canvassers), and it is important that every leader acknowledge this is in order for us to move forward and solve many of the critical issues ahead of us,” Benson wrote in the letter, dated Tuesday.
“In fact, I expect it would be impossible to have a substantive conversation about advancing election legislation if its participants continue to claim recent meetings with longdead Latin American leaders and other fantastical fabrications are somehow connected to how Michigan citizens exercise their rights to vote.”
Giuliani and other attorneys who support Trump have repeatedly said, both publicly and in legal filings, that compatriots of deceased Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez helped crafted an elections system used to carry out an international conspiracy that ultimately cost Trump the election.
On Monday, Michigan’s 16 delegates to the Electoral College voted for President-elect Joe Biden, who received approximately 154,000 more votes than Trump in Michigan.
This has not stopped Trump and his supporters from alleging, without credible evidence, the election was stolen. On Tuesday, Trump incorrectly suggested Benson broke the law in a tweet. Earlier this month, Benson was targeted by Trump supporters who loudly protested outside her home in Detroit.
In her letter, Benson called on lawmakers to take up election reforms she has championed this year. That includes giving local clerks more time before Election Day to process absentee ballots and allowing military and overseas voters to cast ballots electronically. She specifically noted legislation sponsored by Hall, saying this legislation would “help clean up the qualified voter file.”
For months, Republicans have blasted Benson for her handling of the qualified voter file, essentially a list of voters in the state. They argue there are thousands of people on the list who are not eligible to vote, potentially leading to fraud. This was a particular point of contention when Benson and clerks mailed unsolicited absentee ballot applications to all registered voters in the state.
The House voted Tuesday to give Hall’s committee broad powers to issue subpoenas. While those powers likely do not extend after the House adjourns for the year, Hall could in theory issue a subpoena to Benson for her to appear at his committee. A Hall spokesman did not immediately respond to questions about subpoenas, but did issue a statement on Hall’s behalf.
“Secretary of State Benson said she would be willing to testify before the people’s representatives when it made a good talking point for her and got her good press,” Hall said in the statement.
“But when the rubber met the road and it came time to answer questions about her work, she refused to take questions. Benson’s flipflop makes it clear she would rather hide under a rock than help the people of Michigan build trust in their state’s election process going forward.”
Benson and others acknowledge there have been problems with the file for years. They note it is difficult to know whether a voter moves out of Michigan and does not inform the local clerk, but they argue a litany of security measures prevents illegally cast ballots.
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in Michigan, either this year or in previous elections.