Theis Asks Congress To Investigate Unsubstantiated Voter Fraud Claims
January 6, 2021
By Jon King / jking@whmi.com
State Senator Lana Theis was among 11 Michigan Republican senators who signed a letter asking that Congress "pursue every available option" to examine claims of wrongdoing in the election, despite dozens of failed lawsuits and a lack of credible evidence of mass voter fraud.
The letter, which was issued on the stationary of State Sen. John Bizon, a Battle Creek Republican who serves as the Assistant Majority Caucus Whip, was one of two versions posted on social media Tuesday night. The original version asked Congress to "temporarily delay certification in the name of national unity." However, it was later replaced with a final version that removed that statement and instead called on "the imminent joint session of Congress to pursue every available option and procedure to examine the credible allegations of election-related concerns surrounding fraud and irregularities." An aide to Senator Theis told The Bridge that "The original letter posted on her social media was a draft, and not the final version. The correct letter sent to Congress has now been posted to her account."
Update, from an aide to Sen. Lana Theis: "The original letter posted on her social media was a draft, and not the final version. The correct letter sent to Congress has now been posted to her account." Final draft here: https://t.co/oaXfVJweVR https://t.co/zIE4QQnhB4
— Jonathan Oosting (@jonathanoosting) January 6, 2021
In that post, Theis said the letter followed months of demands “that an independent audit of the November 2020 Election be conducted before the State Board of Canvassers certified our state’s election results. The repeated requests made were not respected.” Bipartisan canvassing boards in all 83 counties, including Livingston County, have certified the election results that show Democrat Joe Biden won Michigan by 154,000 votes. Despite that, Theis said that, “Given that fair and free elections are essential to the long-term stability of our Republic, we have requested that the United States Congress and federal law enforcement, to the extent of their ability by law, conduct an objective and transparent investigation into the credible allegations of misconduct in the 2020 election.”
Today, I joined with ten of my senate colleagues and sent a letter to members of the Michigan Congressional Delegation,...
Posted by Senator Lana Theis on Tuesday, January 5, 2021
The 11 Senators, who represent a majority of the chamber’s GOP caucus, say they “do not seek to overturn the will of the people," but feel it is “vital that the citizenry at-large be confident that the election results were accurate and free from misconduct, criminal or otherwise." To date, more than 60 lawsuits alleging mass voter fraud have been dismissed by courts across the country, including in Michigan, all concluding that the claims being made were without merit.
The letter was released a day before the U.S. House and Senate are scheduled to meet today to certify and count the official votes of presidential electors. They are expected to declare Biden the winner, although a group of far-right Republicans plans to challenge the results.