Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson allowed Mark Zuckerberg-funded organizations to pay local election officials millions of dollars in exchange for directing how the election officials conduct Michigan elections, a group of Michigan voters said.
A reply brief was filed earlier this week by the Thomas More Society challenging Benson's failure to follow Michigan's Election Code of Constitution.
The group was addressing Benson's claim that she was not responsible for the funding because "she did not personally hand out the money," the Thomas More Foundation said in a press release.
"Secretary Benson is wrong," Thomas More Society special counsel Thor Hearne said in a press release. "This lawsuit does not seek to relitigate the results of the 2020 general election. Rather, it is about how future Michigan elections are conducted and Secretary Benson's responsibility to conduct elections according to Michigan's Constitution and Election Code so that every Michigan voter has equal access to the ballot."
The Thomas More Foundation first filed the lawsuit against Benson in October 2020 in the Michigan Court of Claims, claiming that Zuckerberg paid almost $20 million to local election officials through a third-party charitable organization, the Center for Tech and Civic Life.
Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, contributed $400 million nationwide into the 2020 presidential election through their Chicago-based nonprofit.
The lawsuit also claims that Benson allowed organizations funded by Zuckerberg to pay local election officials millions of dollars in exchange for directing how the election officials conduct Michigan elections and that at least $17 million of unreported payments were made to Michigan election officials.
"Evidence confirms that Benson was aware of this private funding scheme and even encouraged election officials to participate," the group said in a press release.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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