(WXYZ) — In conjunction with Monday's hearing which resulted in criminal referrals for former President Donald Trump to the Department of Justice, the House committee investigating the January 6th insurrection released part of their report entitled "Introductory Material to the Final Report of the Select Committee."
Among the items addressed in the document is a November 2020 meeting at the White House with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and Republican Speaker of the House Speaker Lee Chatfield. At the time, Shirkey and Chatfield released a statement saying they had discussed a number of topics but said very little about the meeting, and that "We have not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election."
In the January 6th Committee document released today, the meeting is addressed in two paragraphs on pages 34 and 35. The committee writes that the meeting included Shirkey and Chatfield, as well as Trump and his attorney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who joined by phone. They write:
In Michigan, Trump focused on Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and Republican House Speaker Lee Chatfield. He invited them to the White House for a November 20, 2020, meeting during which Trump and Giuliani, who joined by phone, went through a “litany” of false allegations about supposed fraud in Michigan’s election. Chatfield recalled Trump’s more generic directive for the group to “have some backbone and do the right thing,” which he understood to mean overturning the election by naming Michigan’s Electoral College electors for Trump. Shirkey told Trump that he wouldn’t do anything that would violate Michigan law, and after the meeting ended, issued a joint statement with Chatfield: “We have not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan and 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.
When Trump couldn’t convince Shirkey and Chatfield to change the outcome of the election in Michigan during that meeting or in calls after, he or his team maliciously tweeted out Shirkey’s personal cell phone number and a number for Chatfield that turned out to be wrong. Shirkey received nearly 4,000 text messages after that, and another private citizen reported being inundated with calls and texts intended for Chatfield.
Shirkey testified before the committee, with some video of his testimony being featured in a June hearing.
During the clip that was aired in the hearing, Shirkey was asked if either he or Chatfield made it a point to Trump that they weren't going to violate the law.
Related: AG Barr said he told Trump, 'there is no evidence of voter fraud in Detroit'
"I believe we did. Whether or not it was those exact words or not. I think the words I would've more likely used was that we were going to follow the law," Shirkey said.
The clip also mentioned a tweet shortly after the meeting that urged people to call and text Shirkey and tell him to overturn the election results.
Shirkey said in the interview he received around 4,000 text messages in a short period of time.
