🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has called for Sidney Powell and three other attorneys to be disbarred after they filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn President Joe Biden's victory over former President Donald Trump in the state.
The state leader joined Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in accusing the attorneys of filing a legal complaint "based on falsehoods" and using their law licenses in an attempt to "disenfranchise" the voters of Michigan.
The three top Michigan officials also accused the attorneys of crossing an ethical line "outright" when they pursued the King vs. Whitmer case, which sought to overturn Biden's election victory in Michigan based on baseless claims about conspiracy facilitated by foreign actors.
Sidney Powell, Greg Rohl, Scott Hagerstrom and Stefanie Junttila are the four attorneys facing Whitmer's calls for their disbarment over alleged breaches of various rules of professional conduct.
Releasing a statement on Monday, Michigan AG Nessel said: "These attorneys filed a complaint based on falsehoods, used their law license in an attempt to disenfranchise Michigan voters and undermine the faith of the public in the legitimacy of the recent presidential election, and lent credence to untruths that led to violence and unrest.
"In doing so, they violated their oath and the ethical rules to which they are bound, abused the court system, and compromised the administration of justice — an important foundation of our civil society and the very bulwark of our democratic institutions."
Benson said the attorneys had "abused their authority" by filing "meritless" and "frivolous" lawsuits backed by baseless evidence in an effort to undermine the outcome of the election.
"They must be held accountable for this unprecedented attack on our democracy and prevented from replicating such harm in the future," the secretary of state added.
Their push for the disbarment of the four attorneys came less than a week after Nessel filed a legal request for federal sanctions against the lawyers over their involvement in the King v Whitmer case.
In her court motion for sanctions, Nessel sought to recover legal fees totaling around $11,000 as she called for the attorneys to be held to account over their actions in the aftermath of the presidential election.
Releasing a statement at the time, she said: "Lawyers bear a special responsibility to uphold the rule of law, and these lawyers have done the opposite."
Newsweek contacted Powell, Rohl, Hagerstrom, and Junttila for comment on the Michigan push for their disbarment. This article will be updated with any response.
