Nessel, Whitmer and Benson want attorneys who filed election conspiracy lawsuits disbarred

Michigan’s highest-ranking elected leaders want attorneys who brought conspiracy-laden lawsuits that leveled unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud to be disbarred. 

Attorney General Dana Nessel, joined by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, announced Monday evening they were seeking the disbarment of Sidney Powell and three Michigan attorneys. The attorneys all filed lawsuits in Michigan that included easily disprovable allegations of fraud, furthering concerns fomented by former President Donald Trump that the election was stolen. 

“These attorneys filed a complaint based on falsehoods, used their law license in an attempt to disenfranchise Michigan voters and undermine the faith of the public in the legitimacy of the recent presidential election, and lent credence to untruths that led to violence and unrest,” Nessel said in a news release.

“In doing so, they violated their oath and the ethical rules to which they are bound, abused the court system, and compromised the administration of justice — an important foundation of our civil society and the very bulwark of our democratic institutions.”

More:Michigan AG Nessel files for sanctions against attorneys in election lawsuit

More:‘The people have spoken’: Michigan judge rejects lawsuit from disavowed Trump attorney

Nessel filed complaints with the Attorney Grievance Commission in Michigan and the State Bar of Texas. In addition to Powell, the elected leaders are seeking to disbar Michigan attorneys Gregory Rohl, Scott Hagerstrom and Stefanie Juntilla. They worked with Powell, who is admitted to the Texas bar, to bring a federal lawsuit in Detroit. 

The attorneys represented several Michigan Republicans who would have been delegates to the Electoral College if Trump had won the state. 

Hagerstrom blasted the move, saying it was an effort by three powerful elected officials to silence dissent. 

“Her allegation is just outrageous, that we created the atmosphere that put blood on our hands. Give me an effin’ break. I have not been to one rally, I have not spoken at a rally, in fact the court system is exactly the place that stuff like this should go through to restore confidence in the system,” Hagerstrom told the Free Press in a phone interview Monday evening.

“That’s where we’re supposed to settle our disputes, like adults. The little guy tries to use the system, and these three women that say they speak for the little guy — that’s what big corporations and powerful people use.” 

Rohl criticized Nessel, calling the efforts “suppression” reminiscent of Nazi-era Germany. 

“It’s incredible how I’ve fallen from (grace) when she personally solicited $1,000 contribution for her campaign. I was a great guy…now because I represent clients who she politically opposes, I’m the devil,” Rohl said in an email.

“What happens to our society when anyone who wants to avail themselves of justice in the courtroom runs the risk of the attorney general sanctioning them because of their views.”

State records show Rohl made a $1,000 contribution to Nessel’s campaign in October 2017.

Powell and Juntilla did not immediately respond to a Free Press request for comment.

More:Trump allies to Michigan judge: Force Whitmer to overturn results, award state to president

More:New Supreme Court filing includes blatantly wrong information about Michigan

Powell gained a level of national renown after she toured the country filing lawsuits in the effort to support Trump. She alleged that an international conspiracy involving compatriots of deceased Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez conspired with bad actors to alter the election outcome in favor of President Joe Biden. 

Although she appeared at press conferences with Rudy Giuliani and other Trump campaign attorneys, the president’s team eventually tried to disavow her. However, the New York Times and others reported she and Trump communicated regularly in the weeks after the election. 

Although the complaint against Powell includes individual letters from Nessel, Whitmer and Benson, all of the complaints against each attorney contain similar language: the attorneys relied on deceit and misinformation to sow mistrust in the election results. 

“Although Ms. Powell’s attempt inevitably failed, it served a second, more sinister purpose — one that is not easily remedied, even by the court’s dismissal of baseless legal claims: it cast unwarranted doubt on the results of Michigan’s free and fair elections. Indeed, it undermined the faith of millions of Americans in our democracy and the legitimacy of our president,” reads the complaint against Powell. 

“As a direct result of Ms. Powell’s efforts and the allied efforts of other unethical attorneys, the unhinged conspiracy theories and untrue statements surrounding the 2020 presidential election gained a patina of unearned respectability.” 

More:Election lawsuit cites fraud in Michigan county that does not exist

More:Trump tweet wrongly suggests there were defects with Michigan voting machines

Powell’s allegations were refuted or proven incorrect. An analyst she relied on to make allegations confused Minnesota cities for Michigan municipalities, invented a county that does not exist in Michigan or any other state and grossly overstated counting errors in Antrim County that were disproven by a hand recount. 

A Detroit federal court judge shot down the lawsuit’s request to force Whitmer to overturn the state’s election results; Biden won Michigan by about 154,000 votes. In an effort to get the U.S. Supreme Court to take up their case, the attorneys falsely stated in a court filing the Michigan Legislature endorsed competing slates for the Electoral College. 

The rogue Trump electors were not even allowed to enter the Michigan State Capitol on the day delegates to the Electoral College voted. 

Last week, Nessel formally sought court sanctions against each of the attorneys in connection to that lawsuit. 

Contact Dave Boucher at dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.

*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Detroit Free Press can be found here ***