Matt Hall, Jay DeBoyer, Rachelle Smit blast Jocelyn Benson’s refusal to comply with subpoena
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I want to talk to our good friend on the
phone right now. Kyle Olsen with the latest from Lancing yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Good morning. Yes, I emerged from my cave in West
Michigan to go to Lancing and it was fun.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Kindle like the groundhog. Did you see you know, four
more years of a dark winter or are we going
to get a spring in twenty twenty six?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Well, let me just say so. I was on the
House floor where the media goes, and I had a
nice conversation with House Speaker Matt Hall and it was
a good day. We'll just say that.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Fantastic gat. There was testimony House Oversight Committee that we're
going to have Marline on a little bit later to
talk about. This is a big move though, because finally
there's an opportunity to hold folks accountable.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah. I have been saying really since the Oversight Committee hearings.
The Oversight Committee was announced that those there's several subcommittees
government Weaponization, child welfare, foreign interference, etc. That are doing
the work of accountability. And in my opinion, those are
(01:12):
the most important committees in the House right now because
those are the ones that are attempting to hold the
governor the Attorney General, the Secretary of State accountable now
news that so I was in the speaker's press conference
yesterday and news that came out of that, which we're
going to have a story about this today. We heard
(01:35):
from Joscelyn Benson, and we've talked to you and I
have talked about this, that there's no non citizens they
vote in Michigan elections. And then we heard, oh, it
was fifteen or no, actually we heard it was one,
then we heard it was fifteen, then we heard it
was sixteen. And Jade de Boyer, who is the House
(01:58):
Oversight Committee chairman, told porters yesterday that it's now eighty
eight zero. So this number continues to increase, and Joscelyn Benson,
the Secretary of State, is stonewalling, and it's now to
the point where she loves to posture as she's a
(02:18):
transparent Secretary of transparent Secretary of State. She believes in transparency.
She wants transparency for everyone else. And so Rochelle Smith,
who is chair of the Subcommittee for Election Integrity, has
been asking for the election training materials for local clerks,
(02:40):
and Joscelyn Benson has refused to turn those over, and
so now the Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena, which,
according to the law, you're required to comply with the
subpoena and Joscelyn Benson to get those materials, and Jocelyn
(03:01):
Benson is refusing to comply with the subpoena. And as
Jade Boyer said yesterday, basically what is she hiding Because
the concern is that Jocelyn Benson has issued rules to
clerks which have been overturned by courts saying no, those
those rules are illegal, and so, as Jade Boyer said yesterday,
(03:24):
the concern is that she's continuing with her previous rules,
so they want to actually see that. And so to date,
Joscelyn Benson is refusing to be transparent and refusing to
turn those over.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
What happens is there very teeth to this? I mean,
what happens if she continues.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
To refuse, well, it'll end up in court, and which
I think is exactly where Jocelyn Benzon wants it, because
she can spend taxpayer money, our money to on legal
fees to fight that and drag it out.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
She's attempting to say, oh, this is you know, a
political attack and et cetera. But an election training document
that goes to county to local clerks, is that it's
a public document and you're supposed to that and the
public is supposed to be able to see and really,
what what is what's the big issue here? If you're
(04:19):
telling if you're instructing local clerks how to analyze a
signature on an absentee ballot, why is that such a
national security secret? I mean, shouldn't shouldn't the public have
some awareness, some visibility into what is going on there?
But apparently Jocelyn Benson doesn't think so.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yeah, yeah, we ought to know exactly what they're doing
and why they're doing it. That's that's pretty obvious to me. Uh,
what else is going on out there today? I see
we've got well, while we were gone this week in DC,
Whitmer appointing a new Supreme Court justice, but she still
won't set a Senate special election day for that seat
(05:02):
that's been left open.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, isn't that so fascinating? It's not, but we'll just
say it is. Isn't it fascinating that the governor, so
there is a state Supreme Court justice who the chief
justice actually who announced she's she's resigning and she's going
to go work for a nonprofit and she is resigning
(05:27):
effective the end of April, and so she technically is
still on the bench, still on the State Supreme Court,
and the governor has already appointed a replacement, which of
course is a you know, liberal, progressive replacement, and so
she was able to do that. But here there is
(05:47):
a there's a state Senate district, District thirty five, which
is sort of the Midland Saginaw based city area, so
sort of the thumb over by the thumb. We have
known for months. In fact, November, we knew that the
state senator was elected to Congress to represent that area
(06:10):
in Congress, and so she was going to be leaving.
So we've really known. I mean, technically she resigned January first,
but we've known that this is coming. And here it
is almost May, and the governor is not not naming
a special election. Well why is that, Well, because it's
(06:32):
a lot of that area is Trump country. There's concerns
that if a Republican wins that special election, it will
turn into a nineteen nineteen tie in the state in
the state Senate. And so the governor, I would guess,
I don't think there's any other rationale, then the governor
thinks they may lose that election, which would then turn
(06:54):
into a tie. And so then the reality is that
there would be a Republican majory already in the state House,
a tie in the state Senate, which can be broken
by her lieutenant governor. And so it really changes the
dynamics and Lancing and so she I guess she thinks
(07:14):
that she can just sort of drag this out and
the Lancing media is not really going to say anything.
And I mean, there's been a couple stories about the
fact that she's not calling a special election, but there
has not been pressure. There has not been real pressure
on her to name a special election. And so those
two hundred and plus thousand constituents of that thirty fifth
(07:36):
district go without representation.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
It's terrific. And but let's just say, if this or
a shoe on the other foot, President Trump in that
situat the big defying democracy, trying to thwart the will
of the people and all of that representation, with that,
you know, all that we would be hearing it and
there would be no end, there would be no end
to any of it. But Kyle Olson, I think you
astutey point out why we're why we're hearing what we're
(08:00):
here the Midwestern or Midwestern or news last, but not least,
you know. I was just in DC talking with folks
at the White House, and I know you're I don't
know if I'm allowed to say this, but it sounds
like you may be making a trip to the swamp
here soon as well. The question that keeps coming back
from people here is as President Trump continues to make
(08:21):
moves to try to bring manufacturing back here to America,
get jobs going again, etc. We just got another story
today GM to increase production at Ohio Transmission Facility terriffts
are working, it sounds like question is if we get
all this manufacturer and get upticket it here. Of course,
then we get new plant and investments announced here in
(08:44):
the country, how much of that will Michigan get, if any,
How do we make sure we don't miss out?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Well? I think it comes down to effective state leadership,
And I mean, does anybody think we have effective state leadership?
Of our leadership is literally holding a folder in front
of her face in the old Office. So I don't
think that there's a whole lot of confidence that the
governor could persuade anyone to bring to build a build
(09:15):
a business here, expand a plant or anything like that.
And so as as the President is, you know, strategically
using tariffs to bring businesses and jobs back to America,
the big question is is Michigan going to see any
of that. And what we're seeing at least right now
is companies leaving, you know, companies like GM are going
(09:39):
to other states. Uh, and so it's it's very it's
problematic for Michigan. And and so the governor's strategy to
grow business in Michigan is to hand out these massive incentives,
which Matt Hall House Speaker Matt Hall has said that
we're not doing that anymore. And so it seems like
(10:01):
the governor sort of moved on from Michigan. But we'll
have to see how it goes more.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
By the way, at the Midwestern or d News, don't
just bookmark it, definitely do that. Put your info in
so you get the emails sent directly to you when
they share these stories. Always a pleasure, my friend. Keep
us up to date and post it on your plans
in the future as well. Thank you God bless man.
Have a great weekend. Areas, Kyle Olson,
I want to talk to our good friend on the
phone right now. Kyle Olsen with the latest from Lancing yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Good morning. Yes, I emerged from my cave in West
Michigan to go to Lancing and it was fun.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Kindle like the groundhog. Did you see you know, four
more years of a dark winter or are we going
to get a spring in twenty twenty six?
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Well, let me just say so. I was on the
House floor where the media goes, and I had a
nice conversation with House Speaker Matt Hall and it was
a good day. We'll just say that.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Fantastic gat. There was testimony House Oversight Committee that we're
going to have Marline on a little bit later to
talk about. This is a big move though, because finally
there's an opportunity to hold folks accountable.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah. I have been saying really since the Oversight Committee hearings.
The Oversight Committee was announced that those there's several subcommittees
government Weaponization, child welfare, foreign interference, etc. That are doing
the work of accountability. And in my opinion, those are
(01:12):
the most important committees in the House right now because
those are the ones that are attempting to hold the
governor the Attorney General, the Secretary of State accountable now
news that so I was in the speaker's press conference
yesterday and news that came out of that, which we're
going to have a story about this today. We heard
(01:35):
from Joscelyn Benson, and we've talked to you and I
have talked about this, that there's no non citizens they
vote in Michigan elections. And then we heard, oh, it
was fifteen or no, actually we heard it was one,
then we heard it was fifteen, then we heard it
was sixteen. And Jade de Boyer, who is the House
(01:58):
Oversight Committee chairman, told porters yesterday that it's now eighty
eight zero. So this number continues to increase, and Joscelyn Benson,
the Secretary of State, is stonewalling, and it's now to
the point where she loves to posture as she's a
(02:18):
transparent Secretary of transparent Secretary of State. She believes in transparency.
She wants transparency for everyone else. And so Rochelle Smith,
who is chair of the Subcommittee for Election Integrity, has
been asking for the election training materials for local clerks,
(02:40):
and Joscelyn Benson has refused to turn those over, and
so now the Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena, which,
according to the law, you're required to comply with the
subpoena and Joscelyn Benson to get those materials, and Jocelyn
(03:01):
Benson is refusing to comply with the subpoena. And as
Jade Boyer said yesterday, basically what is she hiding Because
the concern is that Jocelyn Benson has issued rules to
clerks which have been overturned by courts saying no, those
those rules are illegal, and so, as Jade Boyer said yesterday,
(03:24):
the concern is that she's continuing with her previous rules,
so they want to actually see that. And so to date,
Joscelyn Benson is refusing to be transparent and refusing to
turn those over.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
What happens is there very teeth to this? I mean,
what happens if she continues.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
To refuse, well, it'll end up in court, and which
I think is exactly where Jocelyn Benzon wants it, because
she can spend taxpayer money, our money to on legal
fees to fight that and drag it out.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
She's attempting to say, oh, this is you know, a
political attack and et cetera. But an election training document
that goes to county to local clerks, is that it's
a public document and you're supposed to that and the
public is supposed to be able to see and really,
what what is what's the big issue here? If you're
(04:19):
telling if you're instructing local clerks how to analyze a
signature on an absentee ballot, why is that such a
national security secret? I mean, shouldn't shouldn't the public have
some awareness, some visibility into what is going on there?
But apparently Jocelyn Benson doesn't think so.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yeah, yeah, we ought to know exactly what they're doing
and why they're doing it. That's that's pretty obvious to me. Uh,
what else is going on out there today? I see
we've got well, while we were gone this week in DC,
Whitmer appointing a new Supreme Court justice, but she still
won't set a Senate special election day for that seat
(05:02):
that's been left open.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, isn't that so fascinating? It's not, but we'll just
say it is. Isn't it fascinating that the governor, so
there is a state Supreme Court justice who the chief
justice actually who announced she's she's resigning and she's going
to go work for a nonprofit and she is resigning
(05:27):
effective the end of April, and so she technically is
still on the bench, still on the State Supreme Court,
and the governor has already appointed a replacement, which of
course is a you know, liberal, progressive replacement, and so
she was able to do that. But here there is
(05:47):
a there's a state Senate district, District thirty five, which
is sort of the Midland Saginaw based city area, so
sort of the thumb over by the thumb. We have
known for months. In fact, November, we knew that the
state senator was elected to Congress to represent that area
(06:10):
in Congress, and so she was going to be leaving.
So we've really known. I mean, technically she resigned January first,
but we've known that this is coming. And here it
is almost May, and the governor is not not naming
a special election. Well why is that, Well, because it's
(06:32):
a lot of that area is Trump country. There's concerns
that if a Republican wins that special election, it will
turn into a nineteen nineteen tie in the state in
the state Senate. And so the governor, I would guess,
I don't think there's any other rationale, then the governor
thinks they may lose that election, which would then turn
(06:54):
into a tie. And so then the reality is that
there would be a Republican majory already in the state House,
a tie in the state Senate, which can be broken
by her lieutenant governor. And so it really changes the
dynamics and Lancing and so she I guess she thinks
(07:14):
that she can just sort of drag this out and
the Lancing media is not really going to say anything.
And I mean, there's been a couple stories about the
fact that she's not calling a special election, but there
has not been pressure. There has not been real pressure
on her to name a special election. And so those
two hundred and plus thousand constituents of that thirty fifth
(07:36):
district go without representation.
Speaker 1 (07:38):
It's terrific. And but let's just say, if this or
a shoe on the other foot, President Trump in that
situat the big defying democracy, trying to thwart the will
of the people and all of that representation, with that,
you know, all that we would be hearing it and
there would be no end, there would be no end
to any of it. But Kyle Olson, I think you
astutey point out why we're why we're hearing what we're
(08:00):
here the Midwestern or Midwestern or news last, but not least,
you know. I was just in DC talking with folks
at the White House, and I know you're I don't
know if I'm allowed to say this, but it sounds
like you may be making a trip to the swamp
here soon as well. The question that keeps coming back
from people here is as President Trump continues to make
(08:21):
moves to try to bring manufacturing back here to America,
get jobs going again, etc. We just got another story
today GM to increase production at Ohio Transmission Facility terriffts
are working, it sounds like question is if we get
all this manufacturer and get upticket it here. Of course,
then we get new plant and investments announced here in
(08:44):
the country, how much of that will Michigan get, if any,
How do we make sure we don't miss out?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Well? I think it comes down to effective state leadership,
And I mean, does anybody think we have effective state leadership?
Of our leadership is literally holding a folder in front
of her face in the old Office. So I don't
think that there's a whole lot of confidence that the
governor could persuade anyone to bring to build a build
(09:15):
a business here, expand a plant or anything like that.
And so as as the President is, you know, strategically
using tariffs to bring businesses and jobs back to America,
the big question is is Michigan going to see any
of that. And what we're seeing at least right now
is companies leaving, you know, companies like GM are going
(09:39):
to other states. Uh, and so it's it's very it's
problematic for Michigan. And and so the governor's strategy to
grow business in Michigan is to hand out these massive incentives,
which Matt Hall House Speaker Matt Hall has said that
we're not doing that anymore. And so it seems like
(10:01):
the governor sort of moved on from Michigan. But we'll
have to see how it goes more.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
By the way, at the Midwestern or d News, don't
just bookmark it, definitely do that. Put your info in
so you get the emails sent directly to you when
they share these stories. Always a pleasure, my friend. Keep
us up to date and post it on your plans
in the future as well. Thank you God bless man.
Have a great weekend. Areas, Kyle Olson,
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