(The Center Square) – Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson called action by House members dangerous and bullying and is ready to have a judge decide if releasing documents to the House Oversight Committee would risk state elections.
Benson’s remarks came late Thursday after the Republican-controlled House voted along party lines to hold her in contempt of the House for withholding certain election training documents after a subpoena was issued a little more than a month ago.
“Holding an elected official in contempt is not something to celebrate. It’s a disappointing day when our elected leaders do not live up to the standard expected of them. Secretary Benson has not even tried to live up to that standard,” Rep. Rachelle Smit, R-Martin, said in a statement. “She’s spit in the face of transparency, illegally operated our elections, and intentionally hid from the public. She must answer for her failure.”
Since January, Benson has released more than 3,300 documents to the committee and the public at five different times. She says the information she continues to keep closed could be used to compromise elections at several steps during the process.
“I believe in oversight and transparency. That’s precisely why our department has voluntarily complied with providing thousands of pages of documents used to train and educate our local clerks,” Benson said in a statement. “However, I also have a duty to protect the security of our elections from politicians seeking information that would enable someone to interfere with the chain of custody of ballots, tamper with election equipment, or impersonate a clerk on Election Day. We have attempted to work with the chair of the committee to explain these realities, and we’ll do the same in a court of law.”
Smit has likened Benson to a procrastinating child unwilling to do her homework, said she spit in the face of the committee, conducted illegal elections and hid from the public.
Benson said that language, along with more from committee members, hurts election officials.
“But let me be clear: This is no way to govern a state. This is government rooted in bullying and chaos – and I’m tired of it. It’s ineffective and it is dangerous,” Benson said. “This rhetoric, this cruelty, and this lying harms professional election officials who are simply trying to do their job and protect the security of our elections.”
Smit questioned Benson’s reaction.
“In response to our actions, our ‘transparent’ Secretary of State held a closed-door press conference for damage control. She called us cruel and bullies for requesting training materials,” Smit said. “I’m not sure what’s cruel about asking for these documents, but if I offended the paper, the trees, or the Lorax, I sincerely apologize. Unlike Secretary Benson, at least he makes sense when he speaks for something.”
