WASHINGTON, D.C. (Michigan News Source) – Newly declassified and heavily redacted FBI records released by the Trump administration provide the most detailed look yet at the federal investigation into suspicious voter registration activity in Muskegon before the 2020 election. Although the probe ended without charges, the files reveal years of investigative work, internal disagreements within the Justice Department, and evidence that investigators believed warranted a closer look.

The investigation began in October 2020 after Muskegon election officials flagged a large batch of suspicious voter registration applications submitted by workers connected to Democratic-aligned voter registration contractor GBI Strategies. The applications included duplicate registrations, altered information, apparent fictitious names, and forms tied to people who later said they never completed them.

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The story remained largely under the radar until The Gateway Pundit first brought the state police investigation into the national spotlight in 2023 by publishing internal investigative records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

A narrow federal focus.

The Muskegon Police Department had opened the case with assistance from the Michigan State Police before it was referred to the FBI by the Michigan attorney general. Investigators interviewed roughly 100 witnesses and executed a search warrant tied to the operation. According to one witness, the voter registration effort shut down after the warrant was served.

Initially, however, the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section approved only a limited investigation into the prepaid debit cards used to pay canvassers instead of the broader voter registration fraud allegations uncovered by Michigan authorities.

An FBI agent pushes back.

By late 2021, federal prosecutors had decided not to pursue additional investigative or prosecutorial action. But as the FBI prepared to close the case in June 2022, one Detroit-based agent objected, writing that the allegations had never received the “full field investigation” typically conducted in suspected election fraud cases. The agent argued the evidence justified a broader probe into fraudulent voter registrations, even if proving criminal intent would ultimately be difficult. The Public Integrity Section later authorized agents to review the voter registration applications and conduct database checks.

Those checks produced troubling results.

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One FBI analysis examined 107 voter registration applications provided by the Muskegon Police Department. Investigators found that 91 applicants could not be matched through Accurint, CLEAR, or Michigan Secretary of State records. Accurint and CLEAR are commercial data and identity- verification databases widely used by law enforcement and investigators to help confirm whether people exist, where they live, and whether information such as names, addresses, and dates of birth matches available public and proprietary records. Investigators also compared the applications against Michigan Secretary of State records.

Of the remaining 16 applications linked to actual people, only four signatures matched those already on file. In a separate random review of 20 applications, 13 contained significant discrepancies while only seven appeared substantially accurate.

Canvassers detail how the operation worked.

The newly declassified and released documents also paint a consistent picture of how the canvassing operation functioned. Numerous workers told investigators they were paid for each completed voter registration application and commonly worked outside Walmart, Save A Lot, Dollar General, gas stations, liquor stores, and other businesses. None mentioned gaining the permission of the private companies to do so.

And while many denied personally submitting false registrations, several alleged other canvassers did. Witnesses described supervisors encouraging workers to complete applications themselves if necessary, and one claimed marijuana or cash was sometimes offered in exchange for signatures. Another said submitting false registrations was common because it was “easy money.”

Perhaps one of the stranger themes running through the interviews is how little many former canvassers seemed to remember. Several could not identify exactly what company employed them or who supervised them. Some recalled only first names or nicknames despite participating in an organized voter registration operation. That’s an unusual amount of collective amnesia for people describing what investigators believed was a coordinated canvassing effort.

Trump orders investigation reopened.

Despite years of interviews, document reviews and database analysis, prosecutors ultimately concluded they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that specific individuals knowingly violated federal election laws.

The investigation was administratively closed without charges. That changed last week when President Donald Trump released the declassified records and directed FBI Director Kash Patel to reopen the investigation. According to the White House, Patel has been instructed to ensure the matter is fully investigated and to work with the Department of Justice to prosecute anyone found to have committed election-related crimes.

Michigan lawmakers respond.

State Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township) released a statement after Trump released the documents saying, “I want to thank President Trump for highlighting the serious nature of this case. The city clerk said the registration forms in question contained information that was not listed in the Michigan Secretary of State’s database. This wasn’t an instance of ‘there’s nothing to see here.’ This was an attempt to defraud our elections system with thousands of bogus registration forms, and we need to prosecute these acts and provide clear deterrents when they occur. Otherwise, people are going to assume these types of stunts will only get worse and they will lose faith in our elections. That’s incredibly damaging.”

State Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Martin) also released a statement saying, “Last night, President Trump said what Michigan Republicans have been saying for years; the damning allegations out of Muskegon surrounding the 2020 election must be thoroughly investigated and, if necessary, prosecuted. Based on numerous credible reports, many of which have been widely reported by Michigan media, some form of serious voter registration fraud occurred in the leadup to the 2020 election.”

Whatever conclusions the reopened investigation ultimately reaches, the declassified records make one thing difficult to dismiss: investigators uncovered substantial irregularities, numerous witness allegations, and enough unanswered questions to justify taking a hard look at the case. And that’s just what President Trump is doing.