Federal prosecutors interviewed Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in recent months as part of the ongoing criminal probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Benson’s office told CNN the interview took place in March.
Benson’s meeting with prosecutors working for special counsel Jack Smith, which has not been previously reported, lasted “for several hours,” the source said.
Her interview with Smith’s team marks yet another recent meeting between prosecutors and officials from key battleground states that were targeted by former President Donald Trump and his allies as part of their bid to upend Joe Biden’s legitimate victory in the 2020 presidential election.
CNN has previously reported that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also met with federal prosecutors late last month as part of the same investigation. And Rusty Bowers, a former top GOP official in Arizona, revealed to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that he was interviewed by federal investigators seeking information about matters relevant to Smith’s probe.
Benson’s interview came after her office complied with a subpoena from Smith late last year, turning over a broad swath of documents that included communications between Michigan election officials, former Trump lawyers and individuals working for the former president’s campaign.
Included in the documents provided to Smith’s office was an email from a local Michigan elections official reporting a voicemail they received from someone who identified themselves as a lawyer working for Trump’s then-personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.
“While the City Clerk of Rochester Hills, Michigan, I received voicemails in December 2020 specifically requesting access to the election equipment,” the email read.
One call came from a “lawyer with Rudy Giuliani’s team,” the official wrote. An audio file of the voicemail was also included, according to records obtained by CNN.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct when Benson spoke with investigators. It was in March.
Source: www.cnn.com