NYT, Nov. 20, 2020
Michigan lawmakers, after meeting with Trump, reaffirm that they will
honor the state’s vote.
President Trump on Friday suffered another blow to his unprecedented
effort to undo the election results when a delegation of Michigan
Republicans, after meeting with Mr. Trump at the White House, said that
they would “follow the normal process” in certifying the vote results
and honor the outcome.
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. won Michigan, and a state board is
scheduled to consider certifying the vote on Monday.
While Mr. Trump has made baseless charges of voter fraud in Michigan and
elsewhere, Michigan’s top two Republican lawmakers — who had been
summoned to the White House by the president — said after the meeting
that they had “not yet been made aware of any information that would
change the outcome of the election” in the state. In a statement, they
vowed not to interfere with the certification process.
“As legislative leaders, we will follow the law and follow the normal
process regarding Michigan’s electors, just as we have said throughout
this election,” said the two officials, Mike Shirkey, the leader of the
State Senate, and Lee Chatfield, the speaker of the State House.
“Michigan’s certification process should be a deliberate process free
from threats and intimidation,” they added. “Allegations of fraudulent
behavior should be taken seriously, thoroughly investigated, and if
proven, prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And the candidates who
win the most votes win elections and Michigan’s 16 electoral votes.
These are simple truths that should provide confidence in our elections.”
The lawmakers stopped short of affirming Mr. Biden’s victory in the
state in the statement. But they also sent a clear signal that they
would abide by the election results.
Here is what we know about the meeting:
Mr. Shirkey, Mr. Chatfield, and several other Michigan Republican
lawmakers met with Mr. Trump; the length of the conversation, and the
details of what was said, are not yet known. Both legislative leaders
had said they would not interfere with the certification process but
created a joint committee to look into alleged reports of irregularities.
At least two other Republican state lawmakers, Tom Barrett, a state
senator, and Jason Wentworth, a state representative who will take over
as House speaker in January, were also believed to be at the meeting.
Mr. Barrett has been a vocal supporter of Mr. Trump and critic of
Michigan’s secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat. He has called
for an investigation into what he claims are irregularities in the
November election before the results are certified.
Notably, Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National
Committee and a Michigan native whom Mr. Trump has pressed repeatedly
about the state, did not attend Friday’s meeting.
The state is currently the focus of Mr. Trump’s dubious efforts to give
Republican legislatures the reins to appoint pro-Trump electors in
states that Mr. Biden won, tipping the Electoral College in the
president’s favor when it meets on Dec. 14. Legal experts say the
strategy is virtually sure to fail.
It was not immediately clear who attended the meeting from Mr. Trump’s
staff. But multiple people briefed on the event said the White House
Counsel’s Office was not sending anyone to attend, partly because it was
not a White House issue.
— Kathleen Gray and Maggie Haberman
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