Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office has confirmed her office complied with a subpoena issued as part of a federal inquiry into election tampering and the January 6th insurrection.
The Detroit Free Press reports the Secretary of State shared 37 pages of emails, including communications between the state and 19 officials or associates of the Trump campaign. That information was released under a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the newspaper.
Benson spokesperson Jake Rollow said the department isn’t opposed to the records being made public, but wanted to avoid interfering with the Justice Department investigation.
“Our standard protocol is we don’t comment on pending investigations, really, out of a courtesy to investigators and also to ensure that we do not say anything that could hinder the investigation or assist those who are being investigated for wrongdoing,” he told Michigan Public Radio. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
A state audit and a Republican-led legislative inquiry determined there was no significant fraud in the 2020 election in Michigan.