DOJ Demands Michigan Ballots, State Fights Back

0:00The U.S. Department of Justice just hit Wayne County in Michigan with the demand for all ballots from the 2024 election. This comes right after they went after records in Georgia and Arizona, but those were for the 2020 election. Wayne County, home to Detroit, saw nearly 865,000 votes cast last time around. Earlier this week, the Civil Rights Division boss sent a letter dated April 14th, pushing for those ballots and records to check for any fraud. They pointed to three old fraud cases from 2020 and a toss lawsuit over absentee ballots. Michigan says those issues got handled, prosecutions done, claims debunked by a judge. Michigan's Attorney General Dana Nestle fired back hard, calling it straight up weaponizing the Justice Department to mess with state elections. She teamed up with a governor and secretary of state, bowing to protect voting rights if they pushed this circus further. No quick handover from her office. The request gives 14 days to comply, or DOJ might go to court.

1:02But Nestle's dragging feet, noting ballots are spread across 43 local clerks, not just the county clerk. Wayne County's clerk hasn't commented yet. Meanwhile, those earlier moves in Georgia and Arizona, worked FBI raids in subpoenas, got the 2020 records. Swing states stay in the spotlight as midterms loom, with control of Congress on the line, keep an eye on how Michigan plays this out. Local news, powered by AI. This is Durham News Today. I'm Corey with the story.