Michigan lawmakers rebuff Trump after White House meeting

Members of the Michigan state legislature's Republican leadership who met with President Donald Trump at the White House Friday afternoon said they "have not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan."

The Michigan lawmakers -- who visited the White House at the invitation of the President -- didn't say anything to suggest they were going along with Trump's long-shot effort to overturn the results of the election he lost to President-elect Joe Biden.

"As legislative leaders, we will follow the law and follow the normal process regarding Michigan's electors, just as we have said throughout this election," Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield said in a joint statement after the meeting.

A person familiar with Friday's meeting said the session was cordial as the group explained to the President the process for certifying the election and assigning electors in their state.

"Michigan's certification process should be a deliberate process free from threats and intimidation," the lawmakers said in their statement. "Allegations of fraudulent behavior should be taken seriously, thoroughly investigated, and if proven, prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And the candidates who win the most votes win elections and Michigan's electoral votes. These are simple truths that should provide confidence in our elections."

Trump did not apply any overt pressure on the lawmakers to try and shift electors from Biden to himself, or to prevent the vote from being certified, the person familiar with the meeting said, but the President did appear interested in the explanation the lawmakers offered.

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