Special counsel has interviewed senior state official in Michigan in Trump probe, report says

Justice Department investigators have interviewed Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson as part of their investigation into Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Ms Benson’s meeting with prosecutors working for special counsel Jack Smith took place last month and lasted for “several hours”, a source told CNN. Michigan was one of the crucial battleground states targetted by the former president and his allies as he tried to overturn Joe Biden’s legal victory, which is now the subject of a DoJ probe. Her interview with Mr Smith’s team took place after her office was subpoenaed and provided a tranche of documents to the special prosecutor that included communications between the state’s election officials and Mr Trump’s former lawyers and members of his campaign. In one email a Michigan election official reported receiving a voicemail from a person claiming to be a lawyer working for Rudy Giuliani, who was then Mr Trump’s personal attorney. “While the City Clerk of Rochester Hills, Michigan, I received voicemails in December 2020 specifically requesting access to the election equipment,” the email read, reported CNN. The official also included an audio file of a call that came in from a “lawyer with Rudy Giuliani’s team,” according to the news network. In January, to mark the second anniversary of the January 6 insurrection, Ms Benson was among 12 people to receive the Presidential Citizens Medal from Joe Biden. The president said that the medals how “courage and selflessness” around the events of the riot at the US Capitol, which were intended to prevent the certification of Mr Biden’s election victory. “This extraordinary recognition gives me hope that we will emerge out of this time with a democracy that is stronger, healthier, and more robust than ever before. That is what I fight for, have hope for, and what I have confidence that all of us working together can achieve,” Ms Benson said in a statement at the time. Read More A former Trump supporter who got caught up in a January 6 conspiracy theory sues Fox News Trump slams DOJ for scrapping E Jean Carroll suit immunity as DeSantis balks at being his VP - latest Capitol riot suspect arrested near Obama’s home will remain in jail until trial