LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – After months of document requests and political sparring, Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has turned over a batch of emails detailing her office’s interactions with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
The records, released after months of requests and under the threat of a House Oversight Committee subpoena, show Benson using her official state email shortly after taking office in January 2019 to help organize a voting-rights trip to Alabama for roughly 20 secretaries of state.
Past board member, present contact.
MORE NEWS: Proms Canceled, Protests Allowed? Fauci Hearing Revives Michigan’s COVID Double Standard Debate.
Benson previously worked for the SPLC and later served on its board of directors before saying she stepped down prior to taking office as Michigan’s secretary of state. She has described her board role as “mostly ceremonial” and has dismissed the legislative investigation as politically motivated.
Republicans, however, say the newly released emails show Benson remained in contact with the organization after taking office, raising questions about the extent of her relationship with the SPLC while serving as Michigan’s chief elections official.
Emails detail coordination with SPLC as questions grow.
Among the emails, Benson coordinated the Alabama visit with SPLC staff, asked the organization to host lunch for the group, connected National Association of Secretaries of State officials with SPLC employees to finalize logistics, and later thanked SPLC co-founder Joe Levin, writing that the organization had been “such a great supporter of the gathering” before adding, “please let me know anytime you need anything at all.”
The scrutiny has intensified because the SPLC – a nonprofit best known for tracking hate and extremist groups – is facing a federal criminal case in Alabama. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged the organization with wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to commit money laundering, alleging it misled donors about millions of dollars used to pay informants inside extremist groups. The SPLC has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing.
Subpoena paused, not abandoned.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Jay DeBoyer told Michigan News Source that lawmakers had been prepared to authorize subpoenas this week after Benson’s office failed to produce the requested records. Instead, he said, the committee received a batch of documents just minutes before the deadline and decided to delay subpoena action while members review whether the production fully complies with their request.
“It was our intention yesterday to authorize subpoenas for those documents,” DeBoyer said. “At literally 4:58 p.m., the day before, we get an email with some documents in it. In the spirit of cooperation, we said we would hold on issuing those subpoenas until we can do a thorough review of the documents they had sent to make a determination if they had actually complied with our request in our letter.”
According to DeBoyer, the committee requested all communications between the Secretary of State’s office and the SPLC because the federal indictment overlaps with the period Benson was affiliated with the organization. He also said lawmakers are attempting to verify exactly when Benson left the SPLC board after receiving conflicting information.
“We’ve been told multiple things that are inconsistent with each other,” DeBoyer said. “We were told that she had stepped down when she was elected Secretary of State.” However, he said others have suggested she may not have stepped down until as late as March 2019. “We’re just going to see if we can validate that.”
For now, the committee is reviewing the newly released records before deciding whether additional action is necessary.
“I would think through this week and into the weekend we’ll be able to get through these documents enough to make a determination if our request had been complied with or not,” DeBoyer said. “If it has, then great. If it has not, then we’ll come back to seek a subpoena.”
FOIA fight heads to court.
The dispute has also moved into court. Former Michigan Attorney General and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Cox has sued Benson’s office, alleging it has improperly delayed fulfilling his Freedom of Information Act request for additional emails and communications involving the SPLC. Benson’s office argues the request is exceptionally broad and requires extensive review before records can be released.
DeBoyer also said that Cox’s lawsuit appears to seek a broader range of records than the committee’s investigation. “I think he’s asking for some much broader stuff from the Secretary of State than we are,” DeBoyer said. “We’re more interested in the operations of state government.”
