← Michigan Voter-Registration Investigation

"Don't Want to Close" Concerns Email Chain (2021)

Internal FBI email chainOct 20, 20213 pagesFBIMichigan 2021 Dont Want To Close Memo RELEASE MARKED.pdf

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Text (3)Redacted / blank (0)

Key Insights

AI-generated from the sourced claims — verify against the documents.

  • An agent was not comfortable closing the case without raising issues and objected to wording that PIN 'concurs' with the decision not to pursue rather than PIN 'directing' them not to pursue.

    p.1

  • An agent cited DOJ guidance on election offenses, including provisions on false voter registration and bounty-hunting, to argue that closing may be inappropriate.

    p.1p.2

  • The agent acknowledged canvassers were not paid per-registration but argued they still submitted fraudulent applications, though proving 'willfully' would be difficult.

    p.2

  • An external email was to memorialize 'PIN's agreement with the decisions of the USAO and FBI to not seek prosecution here,' copying USAO-W.D. Mich.

    p.2

6 sourced claims

11/16/2021 — an agent wrote he was not comfortable closing the case without raising issues, and was not thrilled with wording stating PIN "concurs" with the decision not to pursue rather than PIN "directing" them not to pursue (p.1).

p.1

11/11/2021 — an agent, citing DOJ Public Integrity Section's "Federal Prosecution of Election Offenses" (December 2017), raised concerns about whether closing was appropriate, quoting: election fraud includes conduct intended to corrupt voter registration (pg. 22); submitting fictitious names to election officers (52 U.S.C. §§ 1037(c) [OCR], 20511(2)) (pg. 24); providing false name/address/residence information (pg. 25); and 52 U.S.C. § 10307(c) provisions on false information and payments (pg. 39–43) (p.1–2).

p.1

The agent acknowledged it did not appear canvassers were paid per-registration, but argued they still submitted fraudulent applications and that proving "willfully" would be difficult; he wanted concerns raised before closing (p.2).

p.2

11/3/2021 (external CRM email) — a party would send an email memorializing "PIN's agreement with the decisions of the USAO and FBI to not seek prosecution here," copying USAO-W.D. Mich. (p.2).

p.2
FBI

The manual passage on "bounty-hunting" (paying per-registration) is quoted at length: it can motivate forging registrations, overloads clerk offices with bogus registrations before an election, and prosecutors should consider charging both individuals and the organizations that employ and pay them under Section 10307(c) (p.2).

p.2

10/20/2021 — prior discussion of the current state of the investigation, results of the financial review, and the Michigan Attorney General's Office casefile; request for a letter on DOJ/PIN's view on concurrence/nonconcurrence (p.2–3).

p.2