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MI Dept. of State complies with Jan 6 special counsel subpoena

voting booths
Jodi Westrick
/
Michigan Radio

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 6 insurrection.

The Detroit Free Press reportsthe 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 Radio.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the January 6 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.

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987.