(Nick Manes photo) Michigan state Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, an ally of Donald Trump, says Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson “will be prosecuted and convicted” if the former president wins another term in the White House this fall. Maddock’s wife, Meshawn Maddock, is charged in an alleged fake elector plot in which prosecutors say she and others tried to submit false electoral votes for Trump.

Just two days after former President Donald Trump threatened to prosecute and jail political opponents, a supporter of his in the Michigan Legislature expects the same for Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

“Benson will be prosecuted and convicted for the 20 election laws she broke in 2020,” posted state Rep. Matt Maddock, R-Milford, in a social media post Monday night. It was in response to a post by journalist Charlie LeDuff criticizing Benson for her office’s handling of ballot access issues involving independent candidates Robert Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West.

Maddock has been a staunch supporter of Trump’s disproven claims that he actually won the 2020 election, and was among a group of GOP state House members who signed onto a lawsuit just weeks after the election seeking to overturn the results. Those false claims also led to armed proteste

The Secretary of State’s office rejected Kennedy’s request on Aug. 26 to be removed from the ballot, three days after he suspended his campaign, citing a section of Michigan Election Law concerning candidates nominated by minor political parties. After working its way through the courts, the Michigan Supreme Court on Monday upheld Benson’s interpretation and ordered Kennedy’s name to remain.

The court also ruled Monday that West’s name will remain on the ballot, overturning an initial decision by the Michigan Bureau of Elections, which falls under Benson’s authority, that it should be removed due to affidavit defects.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks at the Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention in Lansing on Aug. 24. (Anna Liz Nichols photo)

Maddock’s post about Benson, a Democrat, came two days after Trump posted to Truth Social echoing his false claims about fraud in the 2020 election and said that anyone he considers to have cheated this November “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again.”

A request for comment was sent by the Michigan Advance to Maddock, but has yet to be returned.

Benson spokesperson Angela Benander told the Advance that the there was a connection between Trump’s continued attacks on the election process and comments like those from Maddock.

“When the former president makes vitriolic, baseless threats against election officials who are simply doing their jobs this is the kind of false rhetoric it inspires,” said Benander. “The Secretary’s commitment — and the responsibility of every election official in the nation — is to rise above the noise and focus on continuing to ensure our elections are fair, secure, accessible, and that the results are an accurate reflection of the will of the people. No amount of lies, delusions, or threats will distract us from that purpose.”

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes also issued a statement about Maddock’s post.

“This threat, and make no mistake — it is a threat, coming from the man who thought the Gonzaga Men’s Basketball team was invading the Detroit airport shows exactly the kind of sycophants Donald Trump surrounds himself with as he pursues his Project 2025 agenda,” said Barnes. “This kind of political vitriol is concerning for us all, and Michiganders deserve better than MAGA MIGOP Rep. Matt Maddock threatening our Secretary of State who has faithfully protected our elections from those who work to destroy our democracy and tear away our freedoms.”

Maddock’s wife, Meshawn Maddock, who was formerly the co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, is also charged in an alleged fake elector plot in which prosecutors say she and others tried to submit false electoral votes for Trump.

Maddock is one of six of those charged who have been nominated as Republican electors in the 2024 election, the Detroit News reported.

She also arranged for buses to bring pro-Trump protesters to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, for Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally that devolved into an insurrection attempt and attack on the U.S. Capitol as the process to certify Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election was taking place. She and her husband spoke at a Capitol rally the night before.

——-

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For more, go to https://michiganadvance.com.