Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is threatening to prosecute a resident for “spread[ing]” what has been labeled as “misleading or false” election-related information, according to a “cease and desist” letter reported Tuesday. This comes just days after The Federalist revealed Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is urging residents to report their neighbors for so-called “election misinformation.”
The letter’s recipient, who had previously chosen to remain anonymous, revealed herself to The Federalist as Kerry Lynn Elieff, a resident of Ross Township near Kalamazoo. Elieff told The Federalist she had posted concerns on June 12 about a change in polling locations.
According to the letter dated July 24 and reviewed by The Federalist, Nessel’s office threatened Elieff for making a post about polling locations, which Elieff said she was “shocked” to receive last week.
“I was just thinking, ‘They’re going to prosecute me for this?’” Elieff said to The Federalist. “They’re probably hearing one side of the story.”
“[Y]ou are hereby ordered to CEASE AND DESIST the use of online platforms to continue spreading false or misleading information regarding the Ross Township polling locations. Failure to comply with this notice may result in criminal prosecution,” reads the letter, first reported Tuesday by Detroit radio host Justin Barclay and The Midwesterner.
The letter, signed by Criminal Trials Division Chief Robbin Liddell, demanded Elieff “remove[]” “[a]ny false or misleading information” from “all platforms.”
Accordingly, Elieff told The Federalist she removed or modified her posts. In a screenshot she shared with The Federalist,
