by Scott McClallen
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel on Tuesday confirmed her department is investigating threats made against members of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers.
Last Tuesday, Republican Wayne County Canvassers Monica Palmer and William Hartmann originally deadlocked a 2-2 certification vote, precipitating hours of sometimes ugly online public comments.
Wayne County residents and others doxxed – researched and published private information, usually with malicious intent – the two and their families.
The Republicans reversed their vote afterward but later attempted to rescind their “yes” votes, citing harassment and threats to themselves and their families as reasons.
Rep.-elect Abraham Aiyash, D-Detroit, divulged which city Palmer lived in and where her daughter might attend school.
Others threatened to contact their career supervisors and demand they be fired.
Palmer told the Board of State Canvassers on Monday that she received threats against her family and graphic photos of naked, dead women and a photo of her daughter “letting me know that that’s what’s going to happen to my daughter.”
Palmer said she was told, “my entire family should be fearful for their lives.”
Norm Shinkle, a Republican on the Board of State Canvassers, said he had received threats, including “nasty emails telling me my family’s at risk.”
“I had one person even suggest you gotta vote ‘yes’ to certify ‘for the safety of your family,'” Shinkle said.
Nessel said her Criminal Investigations Division initiated its investigation shortly after Tuesday’s Wayne County Board of Canvassers meeting and invited anyone with a specific complaint about election fraud, misinformation, or threats against public officials to email her office.
“We will investigate any credible complaints of threats to government officials, elected or appointed, and will prosecute criminal conduct to the fullest extent of the law,” Nessel said in a statement.
“Serving the people – regardless of party – is an honorable but sometimes difficult and thankless task. And while many of us have been subjected to hateful and often obscene insults, threats of violence and harm will not be tolerated.”
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Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi.
