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Michigan GOP Leader Accuses Secretary of State Benson of Violating Election Law with New Recount Rules
Benson Defends Proposed Changes as Necessary for Election Integrity and Clarity Ahead of November General Election
August 23, 2024
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LANSING, MI – House Republican Leader Matt Hall is urging Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson to withdraw her proposed changes to Michigan’s recount procedures, claiming the new rules violate state law and could undermine the integrity of the upcoming November general election.

Hall, a Republican from Richland Township, argues that Benson’s proposed rules contradict current legal provisions, particularly those allowing recounts based on allegations of fraud and requiring canvassers to investigate the facts presented in recount petitions. He asserts that these changes would restrict the grounds for requesting a recount and limit the duties of canvassers to merely verifying vote tallies, rather than investigating claims of fraud.

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“The people want free and fair elections that follow the law, not government officials with a grudge who make up the rules as they go,” Hall said in a statement. “Secretary Benson can’t override state law, but that’s what she’s trying to do. She wants to ram through her own rules ahead of the election, even though they contradict current election law. With this partisan ploy, the secretary of state is putting her thumb on the scale. This move opens cracks in our election system that bad actors can exploit to undermine election integrity.”

Hall also noted that courts have previously struck down several attempts by Benson to change election procedures without proper legal authority. He highlighted past instances where Benson directed clerks to presume absentee ballot signatures were valid and attempted to alter poll challenger duties without following the public rulemaking process.

Benson’s office is reportedly attempting to expedite the proposed rules in time for the 2024 election. Jonathan Brater, the director of Benson’s Bureau of Elections, has indicated that the department is seeking to have the rules take effect prior to the November election, urging the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules to waive the usual 15-session-day review period.

In a letter to Brater, Hall denounced the effort to fast-track the changes, arguing that it creates confusion and conflicting interpretations just as early voting is about to begin.

“Now, with her move to expedite recount rules that violate the law, the secretary of state seems to be keeping open the option of influencing the election at the last minute. That’s not how this is supposed to work,” Hall wrote. “Election laws should be clear and consistent for everyone to understand, and for campaigns and election officials to follow.”

Benson’s Response: Ensuring Clarity and Fairness

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has defended the proposed changes, arguing that they are necessary to clarify the recount process and ensure a fair and transparent election. According to Benson, the new rules are designed to streamline the recount procedure, prevent frivolous recount requests, and maintain the integrity of Michigan’s election system.

Benson’s office contends that the existing law is vague and leaves too much room for misinterpretation, which could lead to inconsistent application across different jurisdictions. By standardizing the criteria for recounts and focusing the process on verifying vote tallies, Benson aims to provide a clear and consistent framework that will be easier for election officials to follow.

“These rules are about ensuring that our elections are secure, accurate, and fair,” Benson said in a statement. “Our goal is to protect the integrity of the electoral process and to make sure that every valid vote is counted. We are committed to upholding the law and providing the public with confidence in the results of our elections.”

Benson’s office has also pointed out that the rules were developed in consultation with election experts and stakeholders to address gaps and ambiguities in the current law. The expedited timeline for implementing the rules, according to her office, is necessary to ensure that the updated procedures are in place well before the general election, allowing time for election officials and the public to become familiar with the changes.

While acknowledging the concerns raised by Hall, Benson’s office maintains that the rules are fully within her authority as secretary of state and are intended to enhance, not undermine, election integrity.

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Maxwell Breaks Silence: What She Really Said About Clinton, Trump and Epstein’s Death
The new tapes just released.

WASHINGTON — Ghislaine Maxwell, the disgraced socialite serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation, spoke at length about her ties to former President Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and her view of Epstein’s death in newly released transcripts of her proffer sessions with the Department of Justice. She also addressed persistent rumors of a secret “list” of Epstein’s powerful associates, calling the notion a myth.

Click here to listen to the interview.

The interviews, conducted July 24–25, 2025, under a proffer agreement, mark the first time Maxwell has directly addressed federal investigators since her conviction. The transcripts provide a rare glimpse into her perspective on Epstein’s network and the scandals that continue to swirl around his name.

 

Maxwell on Donald Trump

Maxwell said her connections to Trump predated her relationship with Epstein. She recalled that in 1990, while helping her father Robert Maxwell with business matters in New York, she may have briefly met Trump. “My father was friendly with him and liked him very much,” she told investigators, adding that her father also admired Ivana Trump.

She acknowledged attending events at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort but denied recruiting women there on Epstein’s behalf. “I really don’t believe it’s true,” she said when pressed about allegations that she approached women at the property. “In the realm of possibility, it could have [happened], but I have no memory of it”.

Maxwell on Bill Clinton

Maxwell described Clinton as a figure Epstein “greatly admired” and sought to impress. She said she saw Clinton at charity and academic gatherings but insisted he was “never inappropriate” and “never a participant” in Epstein’s sexual misconduct.

Clinton has acknowledged flying on Epstein’s private jet for philanthropic work but denied wrongdoing. Maxwell’s comments, while echoing his denials, underscore Epstein’s desire to cultivate relationships with political elites.

 

Maxwell on Jeffrey Epstein’s Death

The transcripts show Maxwell voicing deep skepticism about Epstein’s official cause of death. “I don’t believe he killed himself,” she told investigators. She suggested Epstein “had many enemies” and said there were “too many coincidences” surrounding the circumstances of his 2019 death in federal custody.

While she did not accuse anyone directly, Maxwell’s doubts echoed the widespread suspicion that Epstein’s death was not self-inflicted.

Maxwell on the Rumored ‘List’

Investigators also asked Maxwell about the long-rumored “list” of Epstein’s friends and associates — sometimes described in media accounts as a supposed ledger of influential figures tied to his activities. Maxwell dismissed the idea outright.

“I never kept such a list, and I never saw one,” she said, calling the notion a “media invention.” She added that Epstein’s social circle was broad and well-known through public appearances, flight logs, and society pages, but insisted there was no secret document cataloging who might have been complicit.

“People have imagined this massive hidden record,” she said, “but it simply didn’t exist in the way it has been described.”

 

Distancing Herself from Epstein

Maxwell continued to dispute prosecutors’ characterization of Epstein’s multimillion-dollar transfers to her. She claimed the money was tied to loans, business deals, and investments, not payments for recruiting underage girls. She described flipping real estate, investing in luxury cars, and earning banking licenses in the 1990s, portraying herself as a woman seeking financial independence rather than an accomplice.

“I always wanted to be independent, financially secure and work for myself,” she said.

Renewed Scrutiny

The release of Maxwell’s interviews is likely to reignite scrutiny of Epstein’s network. For years, questions have swirled about who knew what about his abuse and how far his influence extended. Clinton has denied any knowledge of criminal activity, while Trump has said he knew Epstein socially but “was not a fan.”

Maxwell’s denial of a “list” may quiet some speculation but is unlikely to end the fascination with Epstein’s high-profile ties. Her insistence that Clinton and Trump were not involved in abuse will not silence critics, especially given her conviction for enabling Epstein’s exploitation.

 

A Story That Refuses to Fade

Six years after Epstein’s death and more than two years into her sentence, Maxwell remains central to the scandal. Her interviews reflect both an attempt to defend her reputation and a refusal to accept the narrative prosecutors advanced.

“I’ve never had any problem to speak to anybody,” she told investigators at the outset of the interviews, noting that she had asked to meet with the government years earlier. “I offered myself and I kept asking.”

Now, with her words public, the controversy surrounding Epstein, Maxwell, and the powerful world they inhabited is once again thrust into the spotlight — with two former presidents and the specter of a rumored “list” ensuring the story remains alive.

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