Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is not holding back when it comes to responding to President Donald Trump’s recent remarks regarding vote-by-mail.
The president took to Twitter on Wednesday with a threat to cut off funding states, particularly Nevada and Michigan, that send out mail-in ballots.
In regard to Michigan, Trump wrote in a since-deleted tweet, “Breaking: Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!”
He later corrected his words from suggesting Michigan was sending absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of the upcoming election to instead say “absentee ballot applications.”
State of Nevada “thinks” that they can send out illegal vote by mail ballots, creating a great Voter Fraud scenario for the State and the U.S. They can’t! If they do, “I think” I can hold up funds to the State. Sorry, but you must not cheat in elections. @RussVought45 @USTreasury
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2020
Michigan sends absentee ballot applications to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and the General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2020
Benson quickly fired back at Trump’s initial tweet, saying, “We sent applications, not ballots. Just like my GOP colleagues in Iowa, Georgia, Nebraska and West Virginia.”
After Trump deleted and sent out a new tweet with the correction, Benson — who he called “rogue” — offered another response.
“Hi again. Still wrong,” she wrote.
Hi again. Still wrong. Every Michigan registered voter has a right to vote by mail. I have the authority & responsibility to make sure that they know how to exercise this right – just like my GOP colleagues are doing in GA, IA, NE and WV. Also, again, my name is Jocelyn Benson. https://t.co/deZJwbMlT0
— Jocelyn Benson (@JocelynBenson) May 20, 2020
During an interview with MSNBC Wednesday evening, Benson spoke on the law in the state and what she is overseeing in regards to the general election.
She noted Michiganders “have a right” under the state law to choose to vote-by-mail in the election if they desire to do so, as the nation combats the coronavirus outbreak.
In regards to this being used a “political play,” as the host Chris Hayes worded it, the Michigan secretary of state said, “I’m dumbfounded that this is controversial, especially because there are Democratic and Republican secretaries of state that are doing just what we’re doing here in Michigan.”
“To me, it is also a reflection of what will be happening in our state in the months ahead, which is an effort to misinform and confuse voters about their rights in this state,” she continued.
See Benson’s remarks below:
Hayes went on to note that his read of data shows that there is “no data to support there’s any widespread fraud in absentee balloting, or absentee voting.”
Asked if she has the confidence in absentee voting, “Yes, absolutely. I mean, look people have been voting by mail, including the president, for decades in this country and various states.”