The administration says that investigators uncovered evidence of fraudulent voter registration activity involving canvassers who were paid based on the number of applications they submitted.
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that the FBI will investigate alleged voter registration fraud in Michigan, as newly released documents reveal evidence of a large-scale operation that was previously buried by those in the biden administration.
The announcement came as part of Trump's release of previously classified intelligence and government records focused on election security vulnerabilities, including allegations involving foreign interference, voter data breaches, and election-related investigations. According to the White House, the documents include FBI files related to a 2020 investigation into a voter registration operation in Muskegon County, Michigan. The administration says that investigators uncovered evidence of fraudulent voter registration activity involving canvassers who were paid based on the number of applications they submitted.
Trump said the documents show FBI agents believed crimes had occurred but accused the previous administration of delaying the investigation.
“In other words, it was pay, play and cheat,” Trump said during his address. “The FBI agents working on the case believed that crimes were committed, yet the Biden Department of Justice slow-walked the investigation and killed it.”
The White House said Michigan State Police raided a Democratic get-out-the-vote organization in Muskegon in 2020 after local officials flagged thousands of questionable voter registration forms. Investigators later contacted the FBI’s Detroit field office over concerns about possible fraud.
The documents released by the administration state that some canvassers admitted to FBI agents that they signed voter registration forms in other people’s names, submitted registrations for individuals who did not exist, and received gift cards tied to the number of applications they produced.
https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2077928007100965363
The FBI investigation focused on allegations that workers involved in voter registration efforts submitted fraudulent forms, but the investigation did not find evidence that fraudulent registrations resulted in fraudulent votes being cast.
State and federal prosecutors ultimately declined to bring criminal charges following the investigation, despite criticism from Republican lawmakers who argued the matter was not fully pursued.
Trump said he has directed FBI Director Kash Patel to ensure the investigation is fully reviewed and that the Department of Justice pursue charges if wrongdoing is confirmed.
“Director Patel is being directed to ensure that the matter is fully investigated, and to work with the Department of Justice to prosecute those responsible for any crimes,” the White House said.
The Michigan allegations are among several 2020 election documents released Thursday. The administration also released intelligence assessments it said show foreign adversaries have the ability to target US election infrastructure, including voter databases, election websites, and other systems.
Trump said the disclosures were intended to increase transparency and address concerns about election security.
“Our purpose in disclosing this information is not to weaken confidence in election, but to earn that confidence by confronting vulnerabilities and correcting them very, very quickly,” Trump said.
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