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RNC chairwoman alleges voting irregularities in Michigan
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel holds a news conference in Michigan.
good afternoon. Our democracy works because our nation's commitment to the rule of law, the faith of its citizens have that elections will be fair, transparent and that all legal boats that my son unfortunately is becoming in the case in the city of Detroit city of Detroit's attempt to black Republican poll challengers from supervising the process is one example. The city of Detroit intentionally deceived the media about the presence of republic by continuing to count Republican poll challengers who had left the building in their official total and not allowing replacements to come to fill those vacancies. They had no sign out process and knowingly created a system that were not permitted to have the number of challengers that we're legally obligated to have toe hide their blatant partisanship. City employees who come then covered center to conceal the truth. What else could they be hiding? Jocelyn Benson ran on a promise to be transparent, and this election has been anything parent way. We're also highly disturbed by the fact that the secretary of state was unable to tell voters how Maney votes were left to be counted figure, which had no apparent basis in reality. I don't understand. It's simple math. I don't believe it's unreasonable for the people of Michigan to expect the secretary of state toe to report within a few hours the total number of ballots cast repeatedly. In interviews with the media, Secretary of State Benson continued to state that there were about 100,000 ballots to be counted, despite the fact that tens of thousands of ballots continued to be added to the city's total and that those interviews were hours apart. In addition, it should not have been difficult to find this number. Seeing municipalities are required to report how many absentee ballots they have received. Simple math should have made it easy to know how. Let's needed to be counted. Jocelyn Benson has repeatedly tried to dismiss these allegations off election irregularities across the state, just like she tried to use legal threats. Very. The Michigan Republican Party story about malfunctioning election equipment in the city of Lansing Ah, story proven true by the press. If all this wasn't enough in Antrim County, ballots were counted for Democrats that were meant for Republicans, causing a 6000 votes swing against our candidates. The county clerk came forward and said tabulating software glitch and caused a miscalculation of the votes. Since then, we have now discovered that 47 counties used this same software in the same capacity interim county, head to hand count all of the ballots. And these counties that use this software need to closely examine their results for similar discrepancies. The people of Michigan deserve a transparent and open process. Voters deserve to know that all legal votes are being counted. The Michigan it will continue toe Fuck Sure that this stops occurring in our state. Thank you. I do you want a hand? If you have any information about any specific situations, we encourage people to email. Save vote s A V E at M I g o p dot or GTA or you can call 87 Save vote. That's 877 283 8683 Thank you very much. And it's my honor. Thio, bring our national committee. I'm sorry, R r r NC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to share her comment. Thanks. Really? Thank you, everyone. Thank you for joining us today. Thank you, Laura Cox, for your leadership in the great state of Michigan, my home state on. We, of course, want to make sure that every legal vote is counted on. We have seen some discrepancies in Michigan and some irregularities that deserve investigation. Democrats and the media spent four years and millions of taxpayer dollars talking about a Russia hoax on the grounds of election integrity. Now, with just over 48 hours after polls have closed in an actual election for president, they want to ignore clear irregularities. Russia call states, is one and end this election. We will not stand for that. Every candidate in every office, from president down to the local level full voter has their vote counted in accordance with law, that observers are granted the access they are due under state law and that any irregularities that have occurred, whether by malicious intent or incompetence, are fully investigated to the fully fullest extent allowed under the law. We will not give up on this process until every last issue has been resolved. Today we announced that the RNC has deployed legal teams in four states, including Michigan, to investigate clear irregularities with vote counting and tabulation in those states. They will work with state and local authorities to ensure that a legal count is conducted in accordance to each state's laws and that every vote is counted. It is crazy to us that the media would call a race like Arizona for Biden when our side still has enough votes toe win. But in states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, where in some cases the margin is only a few 1000 votes, the media is quick to try and Biden has one. If the shoe was on the other foot, the president and President Trump was in the lead. In all these states, the media would be screaming that the race is not over and we need more time to count and make sure it was right. But because Biden is in a very slight lead, the media demands, the race is over and there is nothing to see here. The American people need to have confidence in our elections. Right now. We don't have that. Because across the country, Democrat officials are shutting down transparency, especially here in the state of Michigan. Democrats are damaging the country and the process of transition of power by not allowing a transparent process right here in Michigan. Just last night in Oakland County. We found 2000 ballots that had been given to Democrats that were Republican ballots due to a clerical error. And this took place in Rochester Hills All right, their legal right to monitor the election and purposely kept in the dark, both literally and figuratively. With poll workers blocking windows, windows and padlocking doors. There are hundreds of reports of our poll watchers being intimidated and unable to do their job. There was a major software issue in Antrim County that we have concerns could have caused problems in other counties as well. This issue was brought to our attention by Congressman Bergman's office when they noticed the results being drastically different from what they expected and what they have received from that county in past elections. When they inquired with the clerk, they were told it was a software issue and it was did. But now we know that 47 counties use that same software at the TCF Center in Wayne County. We have received over 100 incident reports of irregularities. Investigate them. Here is an example of just one of them. On her 3rd and 4th, a whistleblower was assigned to work on problem ballots in the TCF Center Adjudication Center. This is not a Republican poll worker. This is an actual election worker. Ah bundle of ballots with no received. Eight were brought to the whistleblower. The ballot should not have been immediately counted because there was or was instructed by their supervisor to take the ballots with no dates. Enter them into the Elektronik record and place either November 2nd or November 3rd as the date received. This is illegal. This whistleblower was uncomfortable entering the dates on the ballots with no evidence they were received on either of those dates. Election workers became angry at the whistleblower and blocked this individual from the process. According to the whistleblower, all election workers were given the same guidance. Reportedly, one of the individuals was a contractor, a city contractor and former director of elections Chris Thomas. These allegations have been referred to the U. S. Attorney's office in the Eastern District of Michigan. We have heard other instances of election workers verbally accosting our poll watchers and refusing to let challenge let us challenge questionable ballots. Election workers were wearing Biden shirts and applauding when our poll watchers were removed from the counting facility off the few ballots that Democrat election workers did allow us to challenge our observers say the process. Finally, our campaigns have also not yet been able to view video surveillance of ballot drop boxes and have meaningful transparency over that process. This'll is our democracy. To see people not be able to observe in Democrat run cities across the nation is not okay. We need to pursue these irregularities. And we need people to be patient and give us the time thes air serious allegations of changing the date on ballots and refusing to let people observe in a meaningful way a new election of this magnitude to see our leaders in Michigan not step forward Jocelyn Benson, Gretchen Whitmer. To allow our poll workers to observe this election has caused further uncertainty. We will pursue all of these irregularities. Please give us time to do that because it is concerning and every vote matters. The fight is not over. President Trump will continue to fight for us and we will continue to fight for him. And I just want to add one other thing as the canvases air taking place. Right now, we're still being prevented from having meaningful access toe to observe the process. We call on Secretary of State Benson and Governor Whitmer to allow our canvassers are watchers to be able Thio have a meaningful presence in these canvases so that we can have a surety, that this is a fair, fair and free election. This is important for all of us to support the president. You can visit visit GOP dot com to donate, or if you see signs of voter irregularities and we literally have a hotline with hundreds and hundreds of complaints coming in, we will track each of them down, vet them, make sure they're credible. Um, and please report them Thio D j t 45 dot stop fraud. 88630 17 76 Thank you for your time, and I would like to take a few questions. That's like the first two from Craig Maliki in the world. A chairwoman Joe Biden is 546,000 votes in Michigan right now. Are you suggesting that what I am suggesting is within an irregularity like this? And with election workers being told to backdate ballots against state law, this needs to be pursued, and it needs to be pursued not just by Republicans but also by Democrats. Because if we're going to come out of this and say this was a fair and free election, what we're hearing from the city of Detroit is deeply troubling. So we're going to pursue that. Pursue this, you know, the media, Joe Biden have all said, Be patient. We should be patient. But we should also be patient as we pursue these irregularities because this is incredibly troublesome. To have this reported allegation that a former director of elections from the state of Michigan crystallize or to backdate ballots, we need to get to the bottom of that. Yeah, President is not only so that they left irregularities, he said. He's won. The state in this election has been stolen from them. That's a little bit different than what you're saying. Well, I think I think everyone agrees we should pursue these irregularities and take time. In Pennsylvania, there are 100,000 provisional ballots and Georgia were in a recount in Arizona. They called the election too early way need to have assurances on Lee, Democrat run counties and precincts that Republican poll watchers were kicked out and unable to observe the process. If there's nothing to see there, then let us watch. Then let us watch. Let us have that assurance that this is being done fairly. But I have talked to people these aren't people I'm just hearing from. This isn't something I'm seeing on the Internet and we want to vet it and we wanted to be credible too. So it does take a process to get a statement to an affidavit to a lawsuit. But the thing that I'm hearing from people I know who were at TCF they weren't allowed to come back in if they left the room. The hostility they dealt with not being able to watch military ballots be transformed, be transposed, seeing ballots that were put into the invalid pile, being put in the valid pile after they had been challenged, a total hostile environment very different than what the secretary of state has put forward. So incident reports and then we will turn them into affidavits. It's a process, but we need to get to the bottom of this because we cannot continue to have the City of Detroit have these issues on. We need to reform our election system here in Michigan, one of the court of Claims Judge said one reason she will against you said you waited too long. You can't get the relief you want, which is people in the world. What? Right now, I want to pursue this and have the time to pursue these irregularities. I hope the press will join us in this. If there is somebody at that high that high level of the city level telling election workers to backdate ballots, that is a huge It is illegal. Way need to get to the bottom of that. Now, this is alleged, and we need toe. Pursue that. I hope the press will continue to do. This is what you can't stop counting because counting is done. So what specifically? Well, one, we'll see how broad this went. Well, see what level of, uh, of, uh, this happened within Detroit. We also want to look at the software issue with these 47 counter counties. I think it's, uh, interesting that last night in Oakland County, 2000 Democrat ballots were switched to 2000 Republican votes, but because of a clerical error, So give us time to have a canvas and a certification would have the for a reason to not allow us to watch. This canvas process is on Lee going to divide our state more, let people watch, let them have that transparency. And let me say this. If Republicans were not allowing Democrats to watch right now, yeah, you'd be at thes canvas centers. You wouldn't be. Here s so this is a problem way. Detroit wear having issues right now. I heard it from the James campaign today way. We'll find out Oakland County as well, we will find out. So what we have heard last night as well are TCF is they would force our poll watchers to be 6 ft back so they couldn't see. Part of being able to observe is actually seeing the ballots and making sure that you can say that this was done in a correct way. And that's happening in the canvases. Well, wait, this needs to stop immediately. And the secretary of state, if she really cares about transparency and she really cares about fairness, should intervene and make sure that every single person at a canvas right now has the ability to meaningful e observe and give assurances that things are being done correctly. Do you believe that Michigan needs to recount and will you be asking for one? We'll look at these software issues and we want to pursue these irregularities. I think it's deeply concerning if election workers are being told to backdate ballots, this'd is something that obviously is illegal. But we need to find the breath of this, and we will be pursuing that. Uh, we're not going to get there yet. I'm not gonna jump the gun. But these irregularities are so concerning that all of us should be worried. I will tell you this being a chair of Michigan in 2016, where 53% of the ballots could not be counted or in the precincts in Detroit because the poll book did not match the ballot box. Michigan needs election reform, and it is time for Democrats to join us because we will never have a sureness in our elections if we do not fix what's happening in the city of Detroit and kicking Democrats Republicans out and not letting us meaningful, Lee observed, is Onley exasperate, exasperate ing the differences and division in our country and in our state. And that the top that is your governor, That is your Secretary of State. That is your attorney general. You need to fix this problem, and you need to make sure that every vote Republican and Democrat in the State of Michigan counts. That is all we're asking for. I'm not going to get into any court actions right now. Right now, I'm sharing with you meaningful evidence that we have seen with these irregularities that we're gonna be pursuing. And we hope that you will be patient and also follow this evidence as well as we put this out. Aziz were gathering it through the state way Secretary just yesterday about the poll watchers challenges that were inside of She told me specifically talk one on one that there were even numbers of Republicans. Are you saying she's a liar? I'm saying she's being dishonest. I am. People were there and a chairman Cox just spoke about this. They kept the numbers the same as people left. I have talked to people who said they would they would systematic move them from TCF. This happened throughout the night. Listen, investigated. Don't trust me. fine. Don't. But don't just take her word for it. Don't just take her word for it. Interview. Every Republican who was there will be giving you their names investigated. Please do your job. Do your job. Do not be biased. Do not bring your bias into this. It is hurting our country. People deserve to feel like this was a fair and free election. And what happened in Detroit is a disgrace. And it was overseen by Benson, Whitmer and the city of Detroit. And it is shameful. And people who were there were kicked out and not able to meaningfully observed. And that is hurting our process in Michigan. So please investigate. We will help you. Was it appropriate for challengers to be outside, pounding on the windows on demanding to be let you know, Cathy, We've had a lot of protests in this country recently. People are upset. They care about this election. But when you're boarding up windows and kicking people out there frustrated it's concerning. And how does that make people feel faith in the process? How? I mean it's not OK and I want to ask every single one of you. If this weren't Ottawa County. If this were in another county in Michigan and Republicans were kicking out Democrat and boarding up windows and doing the things we saw, you guys would be saying something was wrong. And I know that this is wrong. What happened in Michigan? Now we're not saying, you know, we're saying we're just gonna pursue the irregularities and we're asking you to pursue the irregularities with us. Please, and please help us change our election system in Michigan. This is the second presidential election where this happened. I sat in the recount in Detroit. It is abysmal that only 50% of the precincts could be counted because of the discrepancies between the whole book and the ballot box. It is time for meaningful reform in the state of Michigan. Are you telling Michigan that they should have been counting ahead of election? They did process ahead of the election. They passed legislation to be able to do that. Chairman, I have a question. I was there and ma'am, I don't know what newest organization you're with, but I have footage on my cell phone. I can show you off Democrats clapping when one of our Republican attorneys was escorted out simply for wanting to challenge in the regularity. We were outnumbered there, on my question to you, Chairman, Chairwoman is what are they doing to investigate? Um, what are they doing to investigate fire marshal cold violations with all these padlocks that were on the door, God forbid, if a fire were to break out in there, they had all these doors padlocked off. What happened, then way. Need to look into that as well. I think that's a great question. Thank you for your service and going down. You know, people are going to be pulled. Watchers are patriots on both sides. They're going in there saying I want to make sure that go back to my friends and family and say this was done. Well, that is not that that will be investigated and all we're saying today. Yeah. What? One or two or three or four votes that were disenfranchised, E just to be heard. It's not okay? Well, yeah, well, if we're able to observe them, correct, and we're not able to observe them right now, just like we weren't able to observe the vote counting. So right now we don't have faith in the system that Jocelyn Benson and Gretchen Whitmer has set up for the state of Michigan. And we need to make sure that this canvas process is done in a fair and safe way that we were able to meaningfully observed were calling for that today. And we also need to pursue these irregularities. We invite Democrats to pursue these irregularities with us. I think they want to make sure that these things that didn't happen I don't think they should be okay with ballots being back dated against election Law s. So these are things that should be bipartisan. Unfortunately, I don't think they will be. But I think that this is something that should bring everyone together. We want every vote to count Republican and Democrat. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Hi. Way. No E o