While the report cautions there are \
Lansing — A long-awaited report on the 2020 election from a Michigan Senate committee recommends that Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office consider investigating individuals who have pushed false claims “to raise money or publicity for their own ends.” The suggestion, which focused on misleading statements about the results in Antrim County, is among the most striking details of the Republican-controlled Senate Oversight Committee’s recap of a months-long examination of the presidential election. The report was released Wednesday morning. “The committee finds those promoting Antrim County as the prime evidence of a nationwide conspiracy to steal the election place all other statements and actions they make in a position of zero credibility,” the document says. While the report cautions that there are “glaring issues that must be addressed” in state election law, it also says there is “no evidence presented at this time” to prove “significant acts of fraud” occurred to subvert the will of voters. The findings from the committee, led by Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, conflict with the statements of some GOP activists and former President Donald Trump himself, who have levied unsubstantiated claims of widespread wrongdoing in Michigan and sought to overturn the battleground state’s election results based on those assertions. The Oversight Committee voted 3-1 to adopt McBroom’s report, which was described as an “initial” examination, Wednesday morning. Only Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, the lone Democrat on the panel, opposed. He said the document landed on “some good conclusions” but contended Michigan already has laws in place to protect against irregularities. In an interview after the meeting, McBroom said the committee has found what appears to be “potentially fraudulent activity” among some of those who have been making false claims about the election. “If you are profiting by making false claims, that’s pretty much the definition of fraud,” McBroom said. He declined to identify which individuals he was specifically referring to. Democrat Joe Biden won Michigan by 154,000 votes, or 3 percentage points. A series of court decisions, bipartisan boards of state canvassers and reviews by election officials have reinforced the outcome. “Our clear finding is that citizens should be confident the results represent the true results of the ballots cast by the people of Michigan,” the Senate committee’s report concluded. “The committee strongly recommends citizens use a critical eye and ear toward those who have pushed demonstrably false theories for their own personal gain.
