Former President Trump Allegedly Urged Michigan Republicans Not to Certify Election

Former President Donald Trump allegedly urged two local Michigan Republicans not to sign the Wayne County certification for the 2020 presidential election, according to recordings of a phone call reviewed by The Detroit News.

"We've got to fight for our country," Trump said in the call, according to The Detroit News. "We can't let these people take our country away from us."

The Detroit News says the recordings were made by a person who was present on the call. CBS News and other outlets were aware that the call had taken place, but the contents of the call weren't public until the Detroit News obtained access to the recordings of the conversation. CBS News has not independently confirmed the existence of the recordings.

The Trump campaign did not contest the call's contents. 

"President Trump took all of his actions in support of his duty as the president of the United States to faithfully uphold the laws and ensure the integrity of the election, which included investigating the fraudulent and stolen 2020 presidential election," stated Steven Cheung, spokesperson for the Trump campaign. "President Trump and the American people have the constitutional right to elections that are free and fair." 

The RNC referred to McDaniel's statement in the Detroit News. "What I publicly and consistently stated at the time ... is that there was substantial evidence that justified an audit," McDaniel told the Detroit News. 

In 2020, Michigan was a crucial battleground state that Trump lost to President Biden, and Wayne County, where Detroit is located, the state's largest and predominantly Democratic city, played a crucial role. Without the county's certification, the state's election results could not be certified. The county's Board of Canvassers eventually voted to certify in November 2020, after the board had been deadlocked 2-2 on the issue for hours. 

In a recent development, the Trump campaign has withdrawn its federal lawsuit in Michigan that aimed to prevent the certification of the state's election results. The campaign had falsely claimed that the Wayne County Board of Canvassers refused to certify the results. This lawsuit was filed at a time when Michigan is anticipated to play a crucial role in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. It remains unclear whether special counsel Jack Smith possesses a recording of the conversation between Trump, McDaniel, and the two canvassers. Notably, this incident is not mentioned in the former president's federal indictment related to the 2020 election.