Legislative leaders from the Midwestern U.S. state of Michigan said Friday after meeting with President Donald Trump that they had no information that would change the outcome of the presidential election in their state, which initial vote counts showed former Vice President Joe Biden won.
Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and House Speaker Lee Chatfield, both Republicans, said in a joint statement that “as legislative leaders, we will follow the law and follow the normal process regarding Michigan’s electors.”
They said they “have not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan.”
The two men met with Trump at the White House as Trump’s campaign continued to challenge Biden's November 3 presidential victory based on unfounded allegations of voter fraud.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said ahead of the meeting that it was not an “advocacy meeting” and would not include campaign officials.
“There will be no one from the campaign there. [Trump] routinely meets with lawmakers from all across the country,” she said.
Giuliani unavailable
CNN reported that Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, was not able to attend the Friday meeting because he was self-isolating after his son tested positive for the coronavirus. Giuliani, who has worked to support Trump’s efforts to challenge the election results, had earlier told Fox 5 New York that he would attend the meeting to “answer any questions.”
After failing repeatedly in court challenges throughout the country to undermine Biden’s victory by questioning the legality of the vote count, the president and his legal advisers have reached out directly to Republican legislative leaders to see if they are willing to take steps to reverse the election results in their states.
Biden unofficially won Michigan by more than 154,000 votes. The state, however, has not yet certified the results while Trump and his allies keep trying to persuade judges and state legislators to exchange the statewide popular vote with Republican-chosen electors.
The White House meeting was scheduled after Trump took the unusual step of personally calling two Wayne County, Michigan, election officials earlier this week who had agreed to certify results in their county. But the officials said they reconsidered their decision after speaking with Trump.
Wayne County, which includes Detroit, is Michigan’s most populous county and one that voted heavily for Biden.
As Shirkey left Detroit for Washington on Friday, he was met by activists carrying signs with the slogans “Respect the Vote” and “Protect Democracy.”
Earlier this week, Shirkey said that Biden was the president-elect. He said that any attempt to award Michigan’s electoral votes to Trump was “not going to happen,” according to the news outlet Bridge Michigan.
