By Jessica Mathews & Jon King / news@whmi.com


The Michigan Senate Oversight Committee took testimony for nearly seven hours Tuesday regarding alleged, but still unsubstantiated, claims of fraud in November’s election.

Republican State Senator Lana Theis of Brighton Township said the Committee heard testimony from dozens of individuals who gave firsthand accounts of what happened during the tabulation of absentee ballots at the TCF Center in Detroit, but gave no indication there was evidence that the outcome of the election was somehow fraudulent. The Detroit Free Press reported that dozens of people who spoke were Republican poll challengers that worked at the TCF Center. It noted that no Democratic poll challengers and no one who works for city of Detroit testified.

Theis commented that as a member of the committee, it was insightful to hear about what they experienced. She said after listening to their testimony, "I have no doubt that there were numerous irregularities related to Michigan’s Nov. 3 election and, specifically, issues that occurred in Wayne County. Every citizen deserves to have faith in the integrity of the election process and its outcome. It is our responsibility, as elected public servants, to assure the people of Michigan of the process’s integrity through complete transparency and the faithful investigation of any allegations of wrongdoing, fraud or abuse."

Theis added that she and her colleagues, "have already called on the secretary of state to conduct an independent and thorough audit of the election, and over the coming weeks, I will continue to seek any and all avenues possible to ensure that an independent, forensic audit of the Nov. 3 election is conducted. Over the next few months, I will be working with my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to seek further legislative changes to ensure the integrity of future elections in our state. I am committed to taking every possible step to ensure that all Michiganders, and all Americans, have confidence that the state of Michigan conducts its elections with integrity and accuracy."

The Michigan Democratic Party released a statement saying that holding an in-person hearing with no opportunity to testify virtually during a global pandemic was "reckless and irresponsible" yet the GOP-controlled Michigan Senate did exactly that – even with another state legislator testing positive for COVID-19. Chair Lavora Barnes says the, "False claims of illegal actions at the TCF Center have been debunked by the court system and the lawsuits have been withdrawn or dismissed. The vote has been certified, Joe Biden won Michigan by more than 154,000 votes."

With just one month left of the legislative session, Barnes called it "unconscionable that the Michigan Legislature is spending their time allowing conspiracy theorists to call into question the integrity and security of the elections system."

The unproven allegations of election fraud are similar to those being made by the Trump campaign in an attempt to overturn and undermine the results of Michigan’s election.

Simultaneously on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General William Barr announced that the Justice Department has not uncovered any evidence of widespread voter fraud and has seen nothing that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. In an interview with The Associated Press, Barr said U.S. attorneys and FBI agents have been working diligently to follow up on specific complaints and information they’ve received, but they’ve uncovered no evidence that would affect the final results. Trump's attorney and presidential campaign scoffed that they hadn't seen “any semblance” of an investigation of his complaints by the Justice Department.

Photos - Michigan Senate TV