Sidney Powell team doubles down on debunked election claims in attempt to avoid sanctions

A court should not sanction Sidney Powell and other attorneys involved in filing a Michigan election lawsuit filled with conspiracies and unfounded allegations because, among other reasons, they say in their response that the allegations are provable.

Powell and her team have not provided any credible evidence to support any of their incorrect claims that the Michigan election results were fraudulent, instead presenting false reports that rely on conjecture, inaccurate information or misleading testimony.

In the pleading filed in a Detroit federal court on Friday though, the attorneys do repeat many of the allegations that have prompted widespread ridicule and multiple billion-dollar defamation lawsuits. It also includes basic inaccuracies, including a claim the City of Detroit does not operate local elections — it does — and that Powell did not sign the original lawsuit. 

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

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

They also take aim at attorneys representing Detroit, bristling at a briefing previously filed that accused Powell and her team of lying to the court. 

“The City cannot back up its absurd allegation. Proffering expert reports that are disputed by plaintiffs’ experts does not make counsel liars,” reads the filing, signed by Stefanie Lambert Junttila. 

“And, if this were simply the ranting of a third rate five-man Detroit law firm, we would dismiss this behavior as pathetic unprofessionalism. But these are the dirty, media-attention hungry, slanderous and completely out-of-bounds statements by representatives of the City of Detroit. It should not be countenanced by this court.” 

Attorneys representing Detroit, along with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, want attorneys tied to the Powell team’s efforts in Michigan to be sanctioned and disbarred. 

In addition to Powell, those attorneys include Juntilla, Gregory Rohl and Scott Hagerstrom. Rohl, Hagerstron and an attorney representing Powell all blasted these efforts when reached for comment recently by the Free Press. 

Detroit and the Michigan elected leaders argue the lawsuit is filled with intentionally inaccurate and misleading information, filed not to achieve a legitimate legal purpose but to shatter voter confidence in the electoral system. 

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

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

Powell and her team filed lawsuits all over the country after the General Election. They share a central theme: international bad actors conspired to steal the election from former president Donald Trump, using a litany of complex tricks and tactics to rig voting machines and otherwise swap votes. 

President Joe Biden won the state of Michigan and the election. All 83 counties certified the election results, as did the state. No campaign requested a recount, and the Trump campaign withdrew a separate lawsuit that included hundreds of affidavits before a judge had the chance to review any evidence. 

An analyst Powell 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. 

Dominion Voting Systems, which provided the voting machines used in Antrim County and many other districts throughout the state, recently filed a $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Powell. 

In addition to arguing they had the evidence to support their claims — or would have, if they would have been allowed the chance for legal discovery — Powell and her team offer several other defenses: One of them is that the state can only seek sanctions against attorneys who signed the lawsuit, and they argue only Rohl actually signed the lawsuit. 

“The only signator or appearance made in the short life of this case has been by plaintiffs’ local counsel. No other counsel signed any pleadings,” the filing states. 

However, the original filing appears to show electronic signatures for Rohl, Hagerstrom and Powell on the document. 

More:Benson offers sweeping changes to Michigan election laws, including state holiday, gun ban

More:Electoral College count could haunt Michigan Republicans

In a separate affidavit also filed Friday, Rohl downplays his role in the entire lawsuit. He says he was at his home on Thanksgiving recovering from COVID-19 when he was contacted about filing a lawsuit on behalf of Powell. He says it was his job to “hold down the fort” for Powell until she received the necessary approval as an attorney licensed in Texas to appear before a court in Michigan. 

“Attorney Gregory Rohl served, pro bono, as local counsel and filed the initial complaint in the instant case as it was provided to him by the Sidney Powell team making no additions, deletions, or corrections to the pleadings other than simply adding his name to the provided signature page,” the main pleading states. 

Powell and her team also argue it was inappropriate for Detroit to intervene at all in their lawsuit, filed originally against Whitmer in an effort to get her to overturn results showing Biden won. Although a considerable number of allegations from Powell and many others center on purported misconduct in Detroit, they allege the city of Detroit “has no role in the matter.” 

“The city was not accused of conducting elections improperly. It does not conduct elections for the president of the United States. States, through their counties, do,” the filing states. 

“So while Detroit sits in Wayne County, and allegations were made concerning fraudulent election activity in that county, the City of Detroit has no role in the matter, and it should not have intervened.” 

This information is incorrect. In Michigan, cities carry out election administration. Those results are certified by county election boards and ultimately the state. But each municipality actually oversees the administration of the election. 

Powell and her team want the request for sanctions to be dismissed. If they are not, they are asking for a hearing before the judge makes a final determination. 

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 ***