Could Trump face state charges for election lies? Michigan supreme court justice wonders

Donald Trump could in theory be prosecuted for lying about his 2020 election loss in Michigan, according to one of the state's supreme court justices.

The comments came in connection with a related case in which political provocateurs Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl are accused of sending tens of thousands of robocalls prior to the 2020 election warning residents of Black neighborhoods about being targeted if they chose to vote by mail. Burkman and Wohl allegedly sought to benefit Trump.

During a discussion of that case, the question arose as to whether Trump himself could be charged under the same statute, according to Politico's reporting.

"Could Donald Trump be prosecuted for saying the election was rigged? That was the question on the mind of one Michigan Supreme Court justice as the court reviewed the prosecutions of two right-wing activists who spread false information to Black voters," the outlet reported Thursday.

The report continues:

"During an oral argument Thursday, the court wrestled with the free-speech implications of prosecuting Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, two political provocateurs who are accused of sending tens of thousands of robocalls prior to the 2020 election warning residents of Black neighborhoods they’d be targeted by debt collectors and could be subject to 'mandatory vaccines' if they chose to vote by mail."

At least one member of the court found the concept intriguing and worrisome.

"One member of the court, Republican appointee Richard Viviano, wondered aloud whether the state law used to charge Burkman and Wohl could also be used to charge someone like Trump over his frequent statements that the absentee voting process is 'rigged,'" the order says. "Viviano called 'despicable' the tactics Burkman and Wohl are accused of using in a bid to aid Trump by suppressing the votes of African Americans, but the judge said the court needed to be concerned about the sweep of the law aimed at outlawing election-related trickery."

Read the article here.