One of the two Wayne County Republicans in Michigan who rescinded her vote to certify the election results said she spoke with President Trump after agreeing to vote for certification.
“I did receive a call from President Trump, late Tuesday evening, after the meeting,” Monica Palmer told the Washington Post. “He was checking in to make sure I was safe after hearing the threats and doxing that had occurred.”
She and William C. Hartmann, the other Republican on the four-member Wayne County canvassing board, agreed to certify the vote as long as a comprehensive audit was conducted in the Detroit-area county afterward. Initially, the two refused to certify the vote, citing discrepancies in the number of ballots recorded as cast and the number of ballots counted. Both were faced with an onslaught of criticism and accusations of racism between the time they voted against certification and when they changed their minds — which they have since rescinded.
Palmer said the president did not pressure her to change her vote; rather, he was worried about her.
“His concern was about my safety, and that was really touching. He is a really busy guy, and to have his concern about my safety was appreciated,” she said. “It’s hard for me to describe. There was a lot of adrenaline and stress going on. There were general comments about different states, but we really didn’t discuss the details of the certification.”
“It was not pressure. It was genuine concern for my safety,” Palmer said.
On Wednesday, Palmer and Hartmann announced another reversal, saying they wanted to rescind their certification vote.
Their main concern was the unexplained voter discrepancies in the number of ballot records compared to the number of them counted. Eighty-five of Detroit’s 503 Election Day precincts reported different numbers for each, as did 94 of Detroit’s 134 absent-voter counting boards, although a significant majority of them were off by three or fewer votes, according to the Detroit Free Press. In total, only 10 Election Day precincts and 43 counting boards were off by four or more votes.
The county has been at the center of several lawsuits, including a federal lawsuit by the Trump campaign, although the campaign withdrew it after Palmer and Hartmann recanted their certification vote. The suits have been filed in a handful of battleground states that went for President-elect Joe Biden, alleging widespread voter fraud and voter irregularities — although such allegations have yet to be confirmed.
According to the latest unofficial tally, Biden won the state of Michigan by about 146,000 votes.
