The special counsel leading the U.S. Department of Justice investigation into interference in the 2020 presidential election subpoenaed Wayne County’s election commission in late November to seek records involving former President Donald Trump and his campaign.
The grand jury subpoena dated Nov. 22 from Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by the Department of Justice, asked the Wayne County Election Commission to produce records from Trump and his aides covering communications from June 2020 through President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
It mirrors a similar one from Smith seeking records from Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson asking for communications between her office and Trump campaign officials. Benson and the Wayne County Clerk’s Office previously disclosed the existence of the subpoenas.
The Free Press obtained a copy of the subpoena through a public records request. The letter attached to the subpoena from Smith asked the commission not to disclose the subpoena but noted that it wasn’t required to do so. “Any such disclosure could impede the investigation being conducted and thereby interfere with the enforcement of the law,” reads the letter from Smith.
Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett, Wayne County Probate Court Chief Judge Freddie Burton Jr. and Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabree sit on the commission responsible for providing ballots and election supplies to local election officials.
More:Wayne County subpoenaed by Justice Department special counsel investigating Jan. 6
More:Special Counsel investigating Trump subpoenaed Benson: Here’s what he wanted
The subpoena asked for records involving more than a dozen Trump allies. The list includes Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, who testified before the state House Oversight Committee as part of House lawmakers’ investigation into the 2020 election. During the hearing, the pair urged lawmakers to take action that would have awarded the state’s Electoral College votes to Trump despite his loss in the state by more than 154,000 votes.
The subpoena also asked the commission to produce documents containing communications with Sidney Powell, who led a legal effort in Michigan to overturn the results of the 2020 election. A federal judge sanctioned Powell and other lawyers involved in the so-called “Kraken” lawsuit in Michigan. In a blistering order blasting Powell and her team, U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan Linda Parker accused the group of abusing the legal system to undermine voters’ faith in the electoral process.
Powell and her team appealed the sanctions and await a ruling from the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to decide whether they must pay more than $175,000 in fines.
Others named in the subpoena include prominent Trump allies, including those who fought the results of the 2020 election: Kenneth Chesebro, Justin Clark, Joe DiGenova, John Eastman, Boris Epshteyn, Bernard Kerik, Bruce Marks, Cleta Mitchell, Matthew Morgan, Kurt Olsen, William Olson, Stefan Passantino, Bill Stepien, Victoria Toensing, James Troupis and L. Lin Wood Jr.
Trump targeted Michigan and other battleground states in his quest to thwart the will of voters following his 2020 election loss. Hundreds of audits, court rulings and post-election reviews have upheld the results of the election that year.
Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Contact her at [email protected] or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.
