Another 2020 Election Investigation Shows No Fraud In Blow To GOP

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An investigation by the Michigan state Senate Oversight Committee of the 2020 presidential election in Michigan has now formally concluded with a finding that no systematic election fraud unfolded in the state. In other words, claims from former President Donald Trump and his allies that last year’s election was somehow rigged for Biden have been refuted yet again. A report recapping that Michigan investigation was put together by state Sen. Ed McBroom, a Republican, and the findings were formally adopted — with the support of other Republicans on the committee — this week.

As McBroom put it, there is “no evidence presented at this time to prove either significant acts of fraud or that an organized, wide-scale effort to commit fraudulent activity was perpetrated in order to subvert the will of Michigan voters.” Trump and his allies, of course, have claimed the exact opposite, insisting that some far-reaching election fraud scheme was responsible for Joe Biden’s election victory. Notably, however, those pushing those conspiratorial claims have never even systematically mapped out how the supposed fraud took place. Who was in charge? Where are the thousands of people whose assistance would have no doubt been required to carry out the alleged scheme? These are very basic questions that anyone presenting such a serious allegation should be able to answer.

As the Michigan state Senate Oversight Committee report, authored by McBroom, put it:

‘Our clear finding is that citizens should be confident the results represent the true results of the ballots cast by the people of Michigan. The committee strongly recommends citizens use a critical eye and ear toward those who have pushed demonstrably false theories for their own personal gain.’

As summarized by Bridge Michigan, the report “concludes there is no proof of dead voters or “fractional voting,” no evidence of a fraudulent “ballot dump” in Detroit and no proof any Michigan precincts had more than 100 percent voter turnout.” The investigation — which was, again, helmed by Republicans — included “more than 28 hours of testimony from nearly 90 individuals over the course of nine committee hearings” and an examination of thousands of pages of subpoenaed documents, as Bridge Michigan also explains — and no meaningful evidence of systematic election fraud emerged at any point. Meanwhile, the report also includes recommendations like standardized training for partisan observers, like the Republicans who made a scene during ballot-counting in Detroit last year.

McBroom has also called for an investigation by Michigan state Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) of “those who have been utilizing misleading and false information about Antrim County to raise money or publicity for their own ends,” as the Republican leader put it. In Antrim County, Michigan, human error caused an initial issue with reported election results, and Trump allies have falsely characterized the quickly explained mistake as evidence of fraud. Troublingly, Michigan attorney Matt DePerno has raised over $321,000 for a so-called “election fraud defense fund” — which, considering the falsities upon which the whole operation is based, could constitute criminal fraud.