The Michigan Board of State Canvassers are meeting Monday to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Former Vice President Joe Biden beat incumbent President Donald Trump in the November 3 race, but Trump has refused to concede.
Biden won Michigan’s 16 electoral college votes.
Both Trump and his legal team have, outside of the courtroom, repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims of widespread, election outcome-altering voter fraud. Trump has falsely declared victory on several occasions.
Trump, his campaign, and his supporters have faired poorly in court challenges across the nation. Failures include submitting Minnesota’s population numbers as Michigan’s, and bizarrely attempting to withdraw their own fraud-themed lawsuit from a Michigan federal court. The latter incited the ire of Detroit because the withdrawal was premised on the false statement that the Wayne County Board of Canvassers “declined to certify the results of the presidential election.”
Attorneys for Detroit responded to this by asking to the judge to issue a sanction in the form of striking the Trump campaign filing from the record.
“The affidavits and the impertinent text in the Notice were submitted for an improper purpose: to make a gratuitous, public statement about their purported reason for voluntary dismissal, before the Court could reject their baseless claims of election fraud,” Detroit said.
Controversially, President Trump met with Michigan GOP leaders, which critics saw as a possible attempt to turn over election results.
“We have not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan and as legislative leaders,” Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and Speaker Lee Chatfield said in a joint statement. “We will follow the law and follow the normal process regarding Michigan’s electors, just as we have said throughout this election.”
[Image via Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images]
