AG Candidate refuses to accept responsibility for his lies following the
2020 elections
LANSING — The Michigan Democratic Party today denounced GOP attorney general candidate Matt DePerno’s accusations of political persecution after Muskegon County Prosecutor DJ Hilson was appointed by the independent Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council (PACC) to weigh charges against a group who conspired to illegally tamper with voting machines. DePerno is one of nine people allegedly involved in the scheme.
“Matt DePerno made a name for himself by pushing the former president’s stolen election falsehoods – it’s why he earned the ex-POTUS endorsement a full year ago, and why DePerno continues his efforts to this day to overturn the 2020 election results,” said MDP chair Lavora Barnes. “He bragged that he has a so-called secret lab where he and his cronies were ‘testing’ tabulator machines, which is highly illegal. We already know about his extreme, no-exceptions stance on reproductive rights and his problematic professional past, which includes accusations that he assaulted and swindled clients. He seems to act as if he’s above the law, which makes him a disastrous and dangerous choice to serve as the state’s top law enforcement official.”
In a fundraising email sent out late last month, DePerno reportedly said being under investigation for his alleged involvement in the stolen tabulators case is “graver than either Pearl Harbor or 9-11.” Barnes called that statement patently absurd and an insult to the men and women who serve in the US Armed Forces, as well as the thousands of people who lost their lives on 9-11. It’s also a slap in the face, she said, to all the state’s hardworking election clerks – Democratic, Nonpartisan, and Republican – who simply want to ensure that Michigan voters have free and fair elections.
“PACC has acted to assign a special prosecutor to determine what, if any, laws were broken by DePerno and the other subjects of this investigation,” Barnes said. “When it became apparent that DePerno was allegedly involved, AG Nessel did what Bar Association rules require: she turned the case over to PACC for an independent assessment. They have in turn assigned the case to Prosecutor Hilson.”
Barnes pointed out that Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd, a Republican and past president of Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, described Hilson as an “exceptional man” and a person who acts with integrity. Hilson was elected to preside over PAAM by his fellow county prosecutors, the majority of whom are Republican.
“DJ Hilson is respected and admired by his fellow Republican and Democratic prosecutors across the state,” Barnes added. “We have every expectation that he will act in good faith in accordance with Michigan laws and follow the facts where they lead him. Matt DePerno is not the victim of political persecution — that’s just a noisy attempt to distract voters and shield himself from potential consequences, much like the former president has done regarding the FBI investigation into mishandled classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Describing a legitimate investigation as a politically motivated witch hunt comes straight from the ex-president’s playbook and is used by those who don’t want to face accountability for their actions.”
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