GOP nominee for Michigan AG named in election security breach probe

In a petition filed Friday with a Michigan agency that coordinates prosecutors and posted online Sunday by Politico, a Nessel representative wrote that her office has a conflict of interest because a preliminary investigation by state police has determined that her opponent — lawyer Matthew DePerno — was “one of the prime instigators” of a conspiracy to convince Michigan clerks to allow unauthorized access to voting machines.

She asked that an independent prosecutor be named to review the investigation and determine whether to file criminal charges against DePerno and eight others. They include a Michigan state representative and a county sheriff, as well as other key figures in the election denier movement.

Tyson Shepard, DePerno’s campaign manager, told the Detroit News that Nessel has a “history of targeting and persecuting her political enemies.”

“Dana Nessel knows she is losing this race,” Shepard told the News, which also reported the petition. “She is desperate to win this election at all costs and is now targeting DePerno, her political opponent. Her actions are unethical and will further demonstrate to the voters that she is unfit for office.”

State police have been investigating since February efforts by supporters of former president Donald Trump to convince Michigan clerks to give them access to voting software and tabulating machines, so they could examine them to prove fraud took place in 2020. According to Nessel’s petition, DePerno and two others, including a Michigan state representative, “orchestrated a coordinated plan to gain access” to equipment in four Michigan communities.

According to the petition, the tabulators were taken to hotel rooms and Airbnb rentals in Oakland County where a group of four men “broke into” the tabulators and performed…