Trump's DOJ demands 2024 November ballots from Wayne County, Michigan
The Department of Justice is demanding that the Wayne County Clerk's Office hand over the November 2024 ballots following claims of voter fraud in recent years.
In a letter to the clerk's office, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon requested election records, including all ballots, envelopes and receipts. Dhillon wrote that the documents were needed to ensure "that the foregoing federal election laws were not violated in the November 2024 federal election."
The letter referenced three individual cases that were not from the 2024 election involving forged signatures and impersonating another to vote in an election. State officials say those 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."
The letter also referenced a lawsuit alleging election fraud in 2020 at the then-TCF Center; however, state officials say a Wayne County judge later dismissed the lawsuit.
Dhillon gave the clerk's office 14 days to respond with the requested documents.
"Failure to timely produce the requested records may result in the United States seeking a court order for production of such records," Dhillon wrote.
The Wayne County Clerk's Office said it does not have a comment at this time.
"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," Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement.
Nessel sent a letter to Dhillon, urging her to reject allegations of voter fraud.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also issued a statement, saying, "Michigan's elections are safe and secure, and any attempt to suggest otherwise is an attempt to take away Michiganders' constitutional right to vote."
"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," Whitmer later added.
The letter comes after the FBI seized ballots and other documents from the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia. Additionally, President Trump signed an executive order requiring states to impose stricter mail-voting rules. The order would require the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to create a list of everyone who meets the qualifications to be a voter, and for states to send a list of eligible voters to the U.S. Postal Service.
In 2020, a Republican-controlled Michigan Senate committee concluded that there was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, even calling for state officials to investigate individuals who pushed those claims.
"This is the Trump administration's latest attempt to interfere in our elections," Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said about the DOJ's letter. "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."
