State Representative Joseph Fox, a Republican from Fremont, voted in favor of a resolution to hold Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in civil contempt. The decision comes after Benson’s refusal to provide documents related to election training materials, which the Election Integrity Committee has been requesting for several months. Rep. Fox serves as the vice chair of this committee.
The House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena last month for these materials, but Benson did not comply. “No one is above the law in the state of Michigan,” stated Fox. “We’ve kindly asked Secretary Benson for months for these materials and we’ve been extremely patient. After months of waiting, we’ve had to subpoena her for the documents, and yet still, she has refused to follow the law and stick to her constitutional oath.”
House Resolution 117 accuses Benson and the Department of State of civil contempt against the Michigan House of Representatives and their authority to subpoena state agencies for oversight purposes. The resolution also instructs House Legal Counsel to take necessary actions, including litigation, to enforce compliance with the subpoena.
Fox expressed disappointment over reaching this point: “It’s really disheartening that it had to come to this,” he said. He emphasized that these are not controversial documents or personal information but rather training material for election workers that should be accessible to the public. He added concerns about non-citizens voting in elections despite assurances from Benson that they were not.
The resolution passed along party lines in the Michigan House on Thursday afternoon. A response from Secretary Benson is anticipated later today.
