[ad_1]
LANSING, Michigan (AP) – President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer on Wednesday urged Michigan Republican activists to pressure, if not threaten, the GOP-controlled legislature to “step up” and award the 16 State electoral votes to Trump despite Democrat Joe Biden’s 154,000 votes – victory vote.
Rudy Giuliani made baseless claims of “massive fraud, across the country,” before testifying before a Republican-led legislative committee. Just a day before, Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department had found no evidence of widespread electoral fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election.
GOP legislative leaders have said they will not try to replace Michigan voters.
Giuliani said the US Constitution allows legislatures to directly appoint voters, even though the legislature long ago passed a law assigning them to the winner of the popular vote. Biden won the state by 2.8 percentage points. The result was certified by the state’s bipartisan election commission last week.
“They are the ones who should have the courage to stand up,” Giuliani said of lawmakers at a virtual event hosted by the Michigan Republican Party. “You have state lawmakers who are so scared they find it hard to focus. You need to get them to remember that their oath to the Constitution sometimes requires criticism. Sometimes you even have to be threatened. “
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, who was among GOP lawmakers who attended a special meeting with Trump in the White House less than two weeks ago, reiterated on Tuesday that the legislature will not undermine the will of the voters.
“We will follow the law and go through the normal process for Michigan voters,” he tweeted. “Claims that Michigan lawmakers have different authority than what is expressly found in state law are incorrect. Any change would require the intervention of our courts. “
___
Follow David Eggert on https://twitter.com/DavidEggert00
[ad_2]
Source link