The Republican National Committee (RNC) has filed a lawsuit against the City of Detroit’s Department of Elections after the Democrat-run city was caught deleting critical drop box surveillance footage.
The RNC’s lawsuit alleges violations of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and election integrity laws.
The Democrat-run city’s deletion of crucial drop box surveillance footage comes at a critical time just weeks before the 2024 election.
Polls show an increasingly tight presidential race in Michigan between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday by the RNC and Jonathan Koch, claims that Detroit deleted surveillance footage from an absentee voter ballot drop box at Wayne County Community College’s Northwest Campus, despite a pending FOIA request.
The RNC submitted the request for the surveillance footage on August 20, two weeks before the file was allegedly deleted.
“Deleting drop box surveillance footage while there is a pending FOIA request for it is an assault on transparency,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said. “This breach of trust is exactly what reduces confidence in our elections.”
“We will hold Detroit accountable, as this secrecy has no place in a fair and secure election — Michiganders deserve far better,” he said.
The City of Detroit responded by admitting their failure to respond to the FOIA request in a timely manner, but denied any “nefarious activity.”
The Democrat-run city, which was at the center of a massive number of 2020 election controversies and irregularities, claimed that by the time they located the video of the legally required drop box surveillance, the footage had been reused and the requested surveillance was no longer available.
This lawsuit comes at a critical juncture in the presidential race, with Michigan emerging as a key battleground state.
Recent polls show the race in Michigan is extremely close, with most results falling within the margin of error. FiveThirtyEight’s poll tracker shows Harris marginally ahead by 0.6 points, while RealClearPolitics has Trump leading by 0.9 points as of October 9.
The tight race has prompted both candidates to intensify their campaign efforts in Michigan.
Trump is scheduled to visit Oakland County and hold a rally in Detroit on Friday, focusing on manufacturing jobs and rampant inflation. Harris is making her sixth trip to the state since becoming the Democratic nominee, with stops planned in Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Oakland County.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat and surrogate of Harris’ campaign, emphasized the state’s battleground status.
“Michigan is a divided state. And that’s why we don’t write off the reddest of areas on a political map. We show up,” she said.
The lawsuit and the intensifying campaign efforts underscore Michigan’s critical role in the upcoming election.
With 15 electoral votes at stake and only three weeks until Election Day, both campaigns are leaving no stone unturned in their bid to secure this crucial swing state.