2020 ELECTION

We’re diving into what the Republican Party in Michigan is about right now.

State auditors say Michigan’s elections bureau does a sufficient job overall in maintaining the integrity of the voter database, conducting post-election audits and training local clerks — with some exceptions.

In this segment of our History 4 All special, we’re discussing the modern day effort to restrict voting rights following the 2020 presidential election.

Despite copious evidence proving that the 2020 presidential election was the most secure election in U.S. history, a number of Americans still believe the lie that the election was stolen from former President Donald Trump.

Watch Flashpoint every Sunday at 10 a.m. on Local 4 News.

Documents show a group from Michigan attempted to overturn the 2020 election by sending false documents to the state, the courts and the national archives.

U-M students voted in record-breaking numbers during the 2020 election despite the global pandemic.

The race to be Michigan’s next governor is heating up.

The bills were the latest of dozens Whitmer has vowed will stop at her desk.

Clerks are confused, frustrated and want to know why they’re being asked to do another review of the 2020 General Election.

Of course, the veto has the support of Detroit NAACP President, Reverend Wendell Anthony.

Several election bills passed by the Michigan legislature were vetoed Sunday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

“This lawsuit is the dangerous product of an online feedback loop, with these attorneys citing legal precedent derived not from a serious analysis of case law, but from the rantings of conspiracy theorists sharing amateur analysis and legal fantasy in their social media echo chamber,” wrote Detroit attorney David Fink.

An internal committee of the Michigan Republican Party is set to vote on a pair of resolutions on Saturday censuring two members of Congress who supported the Jan. 6 commission and calling for the resignation of a state senator who authored an election report stating that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.

In a testimony before Congress, Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey said she’s losing staff and living in fear because of false claims of fraud in the 2020 election.

President Joe Biden is delivering remarks on voting rights Tuesday afternoon at a contentious time in the U.S. when legislators in several states are pushing for stricter voting laws that would limit voter access.

Michigan’s attorney general is investigating after a Republican-led state legislative committee said people are making baseless allegations about 2020 presidential election results in a northern Michigan county to raise money or publicity for their own ends.

Former Vice President Mike Pence is defending his role in certifying the results of the 2020 election and says he is proud of his own actions on Jan. 6.

The investigation included 30 hours of public hearing, witness testimony from nearly 90 people, more than 400 pages of testimony and subpoenaed key documents from Secretary of State and municipal governments.

Michigan Senate Republicans who investigated the state's presidential election say there was no widespread or systemic fraud.

Former Michigan Sen. Patrick Colbeck is calling for “Decision Day” in Antrim County, the small northern county where the categorically false claim of voting machines being rigged was developed.

The Georgia Democratic Party has its answer for how the state delivered its electoral votes to Joe Biden for president in November and gave Democrats control of the U.S. Senate with runoff victories two months later.

People who believe debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election are pushing for audits of ballots and voting machines in an increasing number of states.

The company at the center of unproven claims of voter fraud in the 2020 U.S. General Election is now going after a former Michigan state senator.

DETROIT – As U.S. House impeachment managers laid out their case during the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, they used Trump’s false statement about the election as evidence, including conspiracies made in Michigan. House impeachment managers are expected to continue building their case Thursday, while Trump’s legal team is expected to present their defense on Friday. AdThe response under fire of Eugene Goodman and other officers during the Jan. 6 attack was central to the arguments made by impeachment managers seeking a conviction against the former president. In the footage, Romney is seen walking toward the rioters until an officer turns him around and he runs in the other direction. “I was very fortunate indeed that Officer Goodman was there to get me in the right direction,” Romney told reporters later.

DETROIT – Three months after the November 2020 election, new videos have emerged alleging fraud on election night in Detroit. This also comes nearly a month after Michigan officials announced a statewide audit of election results. The deadline, however, was when ballots needed to be turned into the clerk and not when they needed to be delivered. The statewide audit includes about 200 precincts and more than 18,000 ballots from across the state. AdA major topic in virtual gatherings this week of the National Association of Secretaries of State and National Association of State Election Directors is how to deal with voters who have lost faith in elections because of the misinformation surrounding the 2020 presidential election.

DETROIT – Sommer Woods is a Detroit entrepreneur, a mentor and a changemaker. Woods, a life-long Detroiter, found herself in the national spotlight during the 2020 U.S. General Election and the experience changed her forever. AdShe prides herself on always being passionate about the policy change and how it impacts the Black community. If that’s paying for tuition, paying for apartments, if that’s paying for gas for them or paying for them to get home from school.”AdShe said she views the children she mentors as her family and that’s why she’ll always stand up for democracy. “When you heard the quote ‘Be the change you want to see,’ I truly live my life that way,” Woods said.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel says U.S. election lawsuits alleging voter fraud, among other issues, have crossed the line -- and she’s calling for the attorneys behind them to be punished. AdBipartisan officials, election officials and even members of former President Trump’s administration found that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Nessel had previously said she was looking into sanctions against attorneys in the broader election cases. AdRelated: Michigan AG Dana Nessel weighs in on election, Enbridge lawsuits and moreNow-President Joe Biden won the 2020 election with 306 electoral votes, beating Trump’s 232. AdMore: Michigan leaders move for sanctions against GOP attorneys in Trump election lawsuitsClick here to view the motion for sanctions filed on behalf of Whitmer and Benson on Thursday, or read it in the document below.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)LANSING, Mich. – Democratic Michigan officials are taking action against attorneys who supported former President Donald Trump and his campaign in their effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Nessel filed a motion for sanctions against Michigan attorneys Greg Rohl, Scott Hagerstrom and Stefanie Junttila and Texas attorney Sidney Powell -- a close Trump ally. Filed with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the motion seeks to recover attorneys fees of about $11,000. Now-President Joe Biden won the 2020 election with 306 electoral votes, beating Trump’s 232. AdClick here to view the motion for sanctions filed on behalf of Whitmer and Benson on Thursday, or read it in the document below.

WIXOM, Mich. – Michael Joseph Foy, a Marine from Wixom, has been charged with attacking a police officer with a hockey stick during the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol Building that left six dead. A video that captured a violent riot breaking into the U.S. Capitol Building as D.C. Metro Police tried to keep them out went viral worldwide. “It’s a hockey stick. He’s hitting him very very hard,” Dolunt said of the viral video. At some point, Dolunt said he had been radicalized and the hockey stick was brought for a reason.

WIXOM, Mich. – A viral video is being used as a huge piece of evidence by the FBI against a Wixom man. The video is from the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol Building that left six dead. The FBI said Foy beat a D.C. Metro Police officer while the officer was on the ground outside the Capitol. READ: FBI: Michigan man used hockey stick as weapon in Capitol riotThe video referenced by the FBI can be viewed here. A Wixom man has been arrested by #FBIDetroit on charges related to the violence at the US Capitol on January 6th.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan election workers and employees rolled a 10-sided die to choose 20 numbers that will go through a random number generating software to choose ballots to be inspected and audited. More than 18,000 ballots will be used for what the state calls a risk-limiting audit. The audit is routine but will be under heavy scrutiny this year after repeated false claims that the state’s election was fraudulent or riddled with issues. Those claims focused on Antrim County where human error initially changed several thousand votes for President Trump to President-elect Joe Biden. Supreme Court rejects fast track for Trump election casesThe Supreme Court on Monday formally refused to put on a fast track election challenges filed by President Donald Trump and his allies.

President Trump says he is outraged by violence at CapitolPresident Donald Trump released a new video Thursday, conceding to Joe Biden and condemning the violent pro-Trump rioters who stormed in the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. In a new video message, Trump says that since Congress has certified President-elect Biden’s victory, the “new administration will be inaugurated on January 20” and his “focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power.”Trump is also speaking out against the violence in Washington, calling it a “heinous attack” that left him “outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem.”Trump did not address his role in inciting the violence in the video. However, the president did tell his supporters that, while he knows they are “disappointed,” their “incredible journey is only just beginning.”The video comes a day after Twitter threatened to permanently suspend Trump’s account after removing posts he made addressing the pro-Trump rioters who stormed Capitol buildings in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. His account was locked for 12 hours. Facebook blocked the president from posting for at least two weeks.

(Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Congress is set to resume confirming the Electoral College vote for Joe Biden on Wednesday night after supporters of President Trump rioted at the U.S. Capitol, storming into buildings and vandalizing property. More: ‘Protesters are in the building’: US Capitol under siegeThe joint session of Congress resumed at 8 p.m. The Senate rejected a GOP attempt to block counting of Arizona results by a 93-6 margin. Watch live coverage below:The longshot effort is all but certain to fail, defeated by bipartisan majorities in Congress prepared to accept the results. Biden, who won the Electoral College 306-232, is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20.

A Capitol police officer looks out of a broken window as protesters gather on the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. At about 2:15 p.m., the U.S. Capitol was placed on lockdown as groups breached the Capitol steps. 6 p.m. update: Officials declare Capitol ‘secure’ nearly 4 hours after violent pro-Trump occupiers disrupted electoral count. DC Police just reported that 4 people died as Trump supporters occupied Capitol; 1 woman shot by police, 3 in medical emergencies. The police chief of Washington, D.C., says pro-Trump rioters deployed “chemical irritants” on police in order to break into the U.S. Capitol.

(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)Twitter is threatening to permanently suspend President Trump’s account after they removed posts he made addressing the pro-Trump rioters who stormed Capitol buildings in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. In the video, Trump urged his supporters who were rioting in D.C. to “go home in peace,” but his message didn’t stop there. President Trump did not win the 2020 election, and President-elect Biden will be sworn into office on Jan. 20. Twitter is demanding that Trump remove tweets violating their policy within the 12-hour lockdown, or else they will permanently suspend his Twitter account. Later Wednesday evening, Facebook -- which also owns Instagram -- similarly announced that they will also lock President Trump’s account for 24 hours.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan’s house Democrats said they plan to defend Michigan’s election results if there is an objection Wednesday in Congress. President-Elect Joe Biden, who won the Electoral College 306-232, is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20. WATCH: Congress holds Electoral College confirmation vote for BidenThe process is ceremonial and is typically a smooth and easy process. Some members of congress who may object were on the ballot in the same election,” said Michigan Rep. Dan Kildee. “As they continue to sow doubt in Michigan’s election results when it comes to the presidential election, they have no issue taking their own oath of office a few days ago.

FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2017, file photo, former President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland walks into Federal District Court in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Joe Biden has selected Merrick Garland, a federal appeals court judge who in 2016 was snubbed by Republicans for a seat on the Supreme Court, as his attorney general, two people familiar with the selection process said Wednesday. Biden is expected to announce Garland’s appointment on Thursday, along with other senior leaders of the department, including former homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco as deputy attorney general and former Justice Department civil rights chief Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general. In picking Garland, Biden is turning to an experienced judge who held senior positions at the Justice Department decades ago, including as a supervisor of the prosecution of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The people familiar with the process spoke on condition of anonymity.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn the presidential election is going before Congress as lawmakers convene for a joint session to confirm the Electoral College vote won by Joe Biden. Biden, who won the Electoral College 306-232, is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20. While other vice presidents, including Al Gore and Richard Nixon, also presided over their own defeats, Pence supports those Republican lawmakers mounting challenges to the 2020 outcome. House Republican lawmakers are signing on to objections to the electoral votes in six states — Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The group led by Cruz is vowing to object unless Congress agreed to form a commission to investigate the election, but that seems unlikely.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn the presidential election is going before Congress as lawmakers convene for a joint session to confirm the Electoral College vote won by Joe Biden. Biden, who won the Electoral College 306-232, is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20. All the states have certified their results as fair and accurate, by Republican and Democratic officials alike. While other vice presidents, including Al Gore and Richard Nixon, also presided over their own defeats, Pence supports those Republican lawmakers mounting challenges to the 2020 outcome. House Republican lawmakers are signing on to objections to the electoral votes in six states — Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn the presidential election is going before Congress as lawmakers convene for a joint session to confirm the Electoral College vote won by Joe Biden. Biden, who won the Electoral College 306-232, is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20. All the states have certified their results as fair and accurate, by Republican and Democratic officials alike. While other vice presidents, including Al Gore and Richard Nixon, also presided over their own defeats, Pence supports those Republican lawmakers mounting challenges to the 2020 outcome. House Republican lawmakers are signing on to objections to the electoral votes in six states — Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn the presidential election is going before Congress as lawmakers convene for a joint session to confirm the Electoral College vote won by Joe Biden. Biden, who won the Electoral College 306-232, is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20. All the states have certified their results as fair and accurate, by Republican and Democratic officials alike. While other vice presidents, including Al Gore and Richard Nixon, also presided over their own defeats, Pence supports those Republican lawmakers mounting challenges to the 2020 outcome. House Republican lawmakers are signing on to objections to the electoral votes in six states — Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

READ: Where Michigan GOP lawmakers stand on effort to challenge Electoral College count“We will not stand idly by without taking every lawfully available option to ensure the outcomes of our elections can be trusted. This includes objecting to the electoral votes from disputed states where there is evidence warranting an investigation,” the pair said in a joint statement. EXPLAINER: How Congress will count Electoral College votesWednesday’s congressional joint session to count electoral votes has taken on added importance this year as congressional Republicans allied with President Donald Trump are pledging to try and undo Democrat Joe Biden’s victory and subvert the will of the American people. They say they will officially object to the results, forcing votes in the Republican-run Senate and the Democratic-controlled House that will almost certainly fail. Neither Trump nor any of the lawmakers promising to object to the count have presented credible evidence that would change the outcome.

The group says that if the 10-day audit isn’t granted, they will object to the Electoral College votes that have declared Biden the president-elect. Michigan Republicans are joining the last-ditch effort to overturn the election results. More than 100 Republican House members from the so-called Kraken Caucus are also expected to object to the presidential election results next week. This week, Democratic Senator Gary Peters called objections to the election results deliberate attempts to undermine trust in American elections. Trump and his allies have filed roughly 50 lawsuits challenging election results, and nearly all have been dismissed or dropped.

President Donald Trump has once again taken aim at Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Twitter early Sunday morning -- and she was not having it. https://t.co/9OXZOujVtE — Dana Nessel (@dananessel) December 27, 2020“A patriot is a person who vigorously defends their country against its enemies and detractors. You’re not our type.”Nessel followed up with another tweet Sunday, saying she doesn’t expect this behavior from President-elect Joe Biden come his inauguration in January. “We’d be asking there be action taken against her law license including potentially disbarment.”In one of the latest filings, the attorney for Wayne County, Robert Davis, called on the federal judge in Michigan’s Eastern District to sanction the lawyers for six Michigan Trump supporters who are suing Gov. With no credible legal options remaining and the Electoral College having confirmed Biden’s victory earlier this month, Trump is turning his attention to Jan. 6.

A Wayne County canvasser is speaking out on Thursday after a woman from New Hampshire was charged with threatening her online. Chair canvasser Monica Palmer says she’s afraid for her life and the lives of her family after receiving violent and threatening messages in November. “You’re not sleeping.”The threats against Palmer are the latest in a year of escalating threats of political violence and intimidation. I can’t go Christmas shopping without fear that somebody’s going to snatch my daughter,” Palmer said. Palmer says that she plans to remain on the Wayne County Board of Canvassers despite recent events.

ANTRIM COUNTY, Mich. – Michigan officials conducted a “risk-limiting” audit of presidential election ballots cast in Antrim County, where a clerical error inspired baseless conspiracies of voter fraud. Antrim County uses software from Dominion Voting Systems, which has a target for conspiracy theories about election fraud this year. Even though the state’s election results have been certified for weeks, Michigan officials still chose to audit Antrim County’s votes on Dec. 17. As a result of the vote audit, Biden lost 1 vote and Trump gained 11 additional votes in Antrim County. “Today’s full audit in Antrim County confirmed the truth and affirmed the facts: Dominion’s voting machines accurately tabulated the votes cast for president in Antrim County,” Benson said on Dec. 17.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan electors gathered on Monday to fulfill their constitutional duty to elect the winner of the popular vote for the office of U.S. president and vice president. On Monday afternoon, Michigan electors unanimously cast 16 Electoral College votes for Joe Biden for president. They also unanimously cast 16 votes for Kamala Harris for vice president. The meeting was a formality, as Michigan electors are required by law to vote for the winner of the popular vote. Michigan has 16 electors to reflect the number of senators and representatives it has in the U.S. Congress.

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan’s top Republican says the state’s Senate oversight committee has not found evidence of fraud on a scale that would change the outcome of the 2020 election. Michigan Senate Leader Mike Shirkey said this in a statement Monday as the state’s electors are scheduled to gather to seal the Electoral College win for Joe Biden. More from Shirkey below:“Today Michigan’s electors convene, according to state law, to cast their votes for the next president and vice president of the United States. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris won Michigan’s presidential election. And I intend to.”Related: Michigan Electors to be given police escort to Lansing Capitol Building for vote

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan’s electors gathered Monday to cast Electoral College votes to officially seal the presidential election win for Joe Biden. UPDATE: The Michigan electors have unanimously cast 16 Electoral College votes for Joe Biden for president. They also unanimously cast 16 votes for Kamala Harris for vice president. Watch national coverage here beginning at 10 a.m.:Michigan has 16 electors to reflect the number of senators and representatives it has in the U.S. Congress. More: What’s in store when the Electoral College meetsAccording to Michigan law, all 16 Michigan electoral votes automatically go to the presidential candidate who won the popular vote, which in this case was Joe Biden.