Michigan GOP House members introduced impeachment articles against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The claims involve election directives and election record keeping. This followed a civil contempt vote after Benson’s office did not fully provide election training materials requested by the House. Rep. James DeSana accused Benson of "corrupt conduct, constitutional violations, and a repeated abuse of power," as per Up Northlive. House Speaker Pro Tempore Rachelle Smit said, "This is unacceptable for a secretary of state to not be working with the legislature and turning over manuals that thousands and thousands of clerks and their staff currently have," according to WZZM13.
Jocelyn Benson pushed back against the impeachment allegations, calling it a "this clown show he is leading is no way to govern" and accusing Republicans of abusing their authority to access sensitive election information. She said she is willing to work with a judicial mediator and stated, "I remain committed to the security of our elections and to the people of Michigan." Rep. DeSana, a critic of Benson, said, "Whether it’s viewed as political or not, my people sent me here to uphold the law and have fair elections and we are not anywhere near that right now," as reported by Michigan Advance.
Benson’s campaign manager, Nikki Goldschein, said, "Michiganders are tired of Republican lawmakers wasting time and taxpayer dollars on election conspiracies." as mentioned by WZZM13. She said lawmakers should focus on issues like affordable housing and school funding. The situation shows tension between GOP lawmakers and the Secretary of State’s office, affecting Michigan’s election process and the governor’s race.
