Michigan closes House, Senate offices today as electors vote because of ‘credible’ threats
Updated Dec 14, 2020;
Posted Dec 14, 2020
Michigan officials have closed the offices of the House and Senate on Monday as electors vote because of credible threats, reports say. (Jake May|MLive file photo)
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LANSING, Michigan Michigan has closed the offices of its House and Senate today as electors cast their official ballots for president because of “credible” threats of violence, according to reports.
The decision to close the offices was made on the recommendation of law enforcement, Amber McCann, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a Republican, tells the Detroit Free Press. However, a Michigan State Police spokesperson tells the Free Press that law officers were not involved in the decision.
Michigan state legislative offices will be closed today due to safety concerns as presidential electors meet across the US to formally choose Joe Biden as the nation s next president.
A Senate notification said: Due to safety and security concerns, the Senate and all Senate spaces in downtown Lansing will be closed Monday, December 14.
Amber McCann, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey said there were credible threats of violence, but did not anticipate protests.
It comes as Trump clings to claims that he won the election and continues to make fraud allegations.
The State House in Lansing is only allowing staffers who are essential in the Electoral College vote to go to the Capitol after law enforcement recommended the closure.
Tiny Trump faction bemoans ‘pathetic turnout’ at Michigan Capitol before Electoral College vote
Updated Dec 14, 2020;
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LANSING, MI - The turnout was pathetic, one Trump supporter said to another Monday in front of the Michigan State Capitol.
It signaled a relatively quiet end to weeks of challenges to Biden’s victory in Michigan, despite state Rep. Gary Eisen, R-St. Clair Twp., suggesting in a Monday morning radio interview that violence could erupt during the Lansing meeting.
While the passionate few protesters were armed with bullhorns and cold-weather gear, Republican lawmakers and attorneys attempted to escort their own electors through the side door of the Capitol building to cast their own votes for President Donald Trump.
Michigan GOP legislative leaders seek to ease tensions ahead of Electoral College vote Paul Egan and Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press
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LANSING Republican leaders of the Michigan Legislature explicitly conceded the election to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden Monday in an apparent effort to ease tensions just ahead of Michigan s Electoral College vote.
The statements from Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, and House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, came amid continuing calls for the Republican-controlled Legislature in Michigan to defy the certified election results and somehow name a slate of electors for Republican President Donald Trump. They rejected those requests, which are based on unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud and election irregularities.
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LANSING Erica Hammel of Macomb County knew something was not right with the person her ex-husband had watch her 1-year-old son, but says that in 2013 inaccessible public records failed to prevent her from knowing that the person had been charged twice with child abuse.
After her son Wyatt nearly lost his life to child abuse, Hammel started campaigning for a child abuse registry. It’s been years of effort, but on Thursday the Michigan Senate passed legislation to create the registry. If it passes the House in the lame duck session, it will be called Wyatt’s Law.