Michigan legislative offices closed due to ‘credible threats of violence’

A Michigan leadership spokeswoman said its offices' closure was based on law-enforcement recommendations.

Dec 14, 2020

The legislative offices at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing were closed today due to “credible threats of violence” as the electors are scheduled to gather to officially cast its Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden.

State Rep. Kevin Hertel tweeted the announcement: “All House offices have been closed tomorrow because credible threats have been made as Michigan’s electors to the Electoral College will meet at the Capitol.”

The legislative offices at the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan were closed Monday due to “credible threats of violence” as the state’s electors are scheduled to gather to officially cast its Electoral College votes. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey confirmed the closure to The Detroit Free Press.

A statement from Amber McCann, a spokesperson for the Republican state senator, confirmed the closure was “based on recommendations from law enforcement.”

Shirkey was one of seven Michigan lawmakers who traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Donald Trump after he complained about potential voting fraud in Michigan, which flipped to blue during the 2020 presidential election.

“You get the president of the United States calling you on your personal phone and he asks you to come visit him, I’m going. I don’t care who it is,” Shirkey said of the trip last month, which received heavy scrutiny. Liberal activists confronted him and other GOP lawmakers at airports in Detroit and the nation’s capital.

House Minority Leader-elect Donna Lasinski blamed the threats on “shameful actions by certain Republicans to smear our democratic institutions and deny the clear will of the voters.” She maintained their actions have created a “dangerous, hostile atmosphere.”

Electoral College voting is typically unremarkable in most election years. However, this year, Trump has made unsubstantiated, evidence-free claims that the 2020 presidential election was rife with massive fraud.

His accusations and subsequent failed legal efforts have further whipped up the president’s base. On Saturday, Trump supporters gathered in Washington, D.C. to further protest the outcome of last month’s election.

Four people were stabbed and more than 30 people were arrested during the event and in its aftermath.

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