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Nessel: Trump campaign 'deliberately' attacks Detroit because it is 80% Black

Posted at 4:44 PM, Nov 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-11 17:49:49-05

(WXYZ) — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel blasted the latest lawsuits from the Trump Campaign and other Trump allies alleging fraud in the Michigan election.

RELATED: Trump campaign to file another lawsuit in Michigan citing 'unlawful vote counting'

“Firstly, either there’s no evidence to support their claims, or their claims are demonstrably false," Nessel said during a national press telephone conference call. "And in addition, even if true, which they are not, these claims would not change the results of the election in Michigan."

Nessel was joined by other attorneys general current and past that included Republicans during a press conference call hosted by the Voter Protection Program.

All expressed concerns that the lawsuits, while still pending, undermine public confidence in democracy and the election system in several states where the lawsuits have been filed.

“If I ever walked into court with claims that were this baseless and this frivolous, I would be sanctioned," Nessel said. "And I would likely be looking at a loss of licensure.”

Nessel said the Trump team's narrative deliberately attacks Detroit because it is 80% Black, saying, “'Black people are corrupt. Black people are incompetent. Black people can’t be trusted.' That’s the narrative that is continuously espoused by the Trump campaign and their allies.”

She says the Trump federal lawsuit was filed in the Western District of Michigan in Kent County, which is more conservative, even though most of the Trump campaign's allegations are in Detroit.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said she looks forward to the scrutiny and says hundreds of people from both parties were present in Detroit where allegations are centered about corruption. She says she hopes people can “move forward once the truth is established”

Nessel also noted Wednesday is Veterans Day when men and women served to protect democracy, saying “These lawsuits spit in the face of our nation’s veterans.”

The Trump campaign said in a news release earlier Wednesday:

“The suit relies on affidavits from witnesses who say they saw election officials counting ineligible ballots, counting batches of the same ballots multiple times, counting illegal late ballots and pre-dating them, accepting ballots deposited in drop boxes after the deadline, and duplicating ballots illegally. It also documents how defendant Wayne County used faulty ballot tabulators that miscounted votes for President Trump as votes for the Biden-Harris ticket.”