LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has an email address her department has declined to disclose – at least that is what former Republican Attorney General Mike Cox is arguing after the address was blacked out in public records.

Cox, also a former Republican candidate for governor, has amended his Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against Benson and the Michigan Department of State, accusing officials of dragging their feet on records concerning Benson’s dealings with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and improperly concealing an email address she allegedly used for government business.

The records fight comes as the SPLC itself is under federal indictment on fraud and money- laundering-related charges stemming from its use of paid informants inside extremist groups. Prosecutors allege millions of dollars in donor funds were secretly funneled to informants associated with groups including the Ku Klux Klan and white nationalist organizations – allegations the SPLC denies. Benson previously worked for the SPLC and served on its board of directors from 2014 to 2018, prompting Michigan Republicans to demand records and answers about what she knew about the organization’s activities and whether her relationship with the group continued after she became secretary of state.

Cox requested records in April concerning communications, meetings and coordination between Benson, her department and the SPLC, including records on personal email accounts. The department estimated the work would cost $10,309.94 and take about 10 weeks. Cox paid the required $5,154.97 deposit in May.

Then came a trickle of records. According to the lawsuit, the department produced just 30 pages on July 28, with its estimated completion period nearly over. Cox says several categories of requested records still have not been produced.

https://www.michigannewssource.com/2026/08/bensons-mystery-email-address-lands-her-in-court/

By Steven Richards

Published: August 27, 2026 6:15am

Updated: August 27, 2026 7:32am

The Homeland Security Department will require random audits of paper ballots in the midterm elections, citing long-simmering concern that the nation’s largest voting technology companies use Chinese parts in their voting machines, according to a letter from Secretary Markwayne Mullin released Thursday.

Mullin sent the letter to the White House Transparency Task Force earlier this week outlining the dangers posed by Chinese components in American voting machines and the way that these components could be exploited by hackers or other malicious actors.

The letter highlighted longstanding concerns first raised in a bipartisan manner before the 2020 election, but which officials appear to have taken little action on in the intervening years.

“Voting machines with components manufactured by foreign adversaries introduce significant security risks,” Mullin wrote. “These vulnerabilities mean that malicious actors could potentially compromise election infrastructure at any stage of the supply chain, even before the machines are assembled or deployed.”

The secretary explained, “If a component is tampered with during manufacturing, it could serve as a point-of-entry for hackers, allowing for the possibility of synchronized attacks across multiple machines and jurisdictions.”

Two Biden administration Intelligence Community memos in 2024 identified China as “the most active and persistent cyber threat” and assessed that China, along with Iran and Russia, has “the technical capability to access some U.S. election-related networks and systems.”

https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/emb6am-homeland-security-warns-chinese-parts-election-machines-require

https://justthenews.com/sites/default/files/2026-08/08.20.2026%20-%20WHTF%20Letter%20%20Commerce%20-%20S1%20SIGNED.pdf