Michigan widens probe into voting system breaches by Trump allies: report

Michigan State Police has warrants to seize voting equipment and election records across three towns and one county as it ramps up its probe into allies of former President Trump attempting to gain unauthorized access to voting systems, according to a new Reuters report. 

The expansion of the investigation, which happened in the last six weeks, includes records such as search warrants and investigators’ memos that show the efforts of state authorities to obtain voting machines, poll books, data storage devices and phone records, according to Reuters. 

Overall, there were at least 17 incidents across the country, including 11 in Michigan, in which Trump supporters gained or sought to access voting machines without authorization, Reuters added.

It is is the largest known investigation of the push from Trump’s allies to access voting systems.

“If there is coordination, whether it’s among those in our state or reaching up to a national level, we can determine that and then we can seek accountability for all involved,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) said to the outlet.

In January, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) called upon federal prosecutors to investigate an inaccurate certificate signed by more than a dozen Republicans alleging that Trump had won Michigan’s electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.

“We think this is a matter that is best investigated and potentially prosecuted by the feds. And as such, just today, we referred this matter to the western district, the U.S. attorney’s office, for them to evaluate it,” Nessel told MSNBC at the time. 

Multiple audits and an investigation led by the Republican-controlled state Senate confirmed that Trump won every Michigan county where breaches or attempted breaches were alleged.

However, some allies of the former president have alleged that Trump should have won by larger margins in those areas, Reuters noted.