Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:06 pm
A former governor of Michigan has raised the prospect of Donald Trump seizing ballot boxes in November as fallout from his suggestion to delay the election continues.
Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat, was governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011. Speaking to CNN on Friday, she warned about the possibility that the President will try to interfere with the election results.
“What if Trump foments right-wing provocateurs and then sends out the military to put out the fire he created?” Granholm said during a panel discussion.
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“What if he seizes the ballot boxes?”
Though Granholm’s comments drew a harsh rebuke from conservative commentator Ari Fleischer, she defended her position later in comments to the Detroit Free Press.
“My point is that state elections officials — governors, secretaries of state, AGs should be doing … tabletop exercises to game out the worst case scenarios,” she said.
“Preparation needs to happen now,” Granholm said. “To be forewarned is to be forearmed.”
Granholm was on CNN discussing the Transition Integrity Project, which has gamed out potential scenarios for the election.
“What if the election is contested and Trump seizes the ballot boxes (if the results come in late due to vote by mail)? ” Granholm said.
“What if he sends in the military? Â What if he declares the election is rigged because the vote is either close or maybe because it is overwhelmingly against him? Â What if R legislators seat a slate of Republican electors in a state where the vote went to Biden?
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Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
