Rudy Giuliani to appear before Michigan House committee Wednesday

Lansing — Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's attorney, will appear before the Michigan House Oversight Committee on Wednesday as he continues to raise claims of wrongdoing in the Nov. 3 election without providing significant evidence.

On Tuesday, Rep. Matt Hall, R-Marshall, chairman of the Oversight Committee, announced the meeting as Republican lawmakers continue to hold hearings focused on election integrity after President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, won Michigan by 154,000 votes.

"Mr. Giuliani believes there were many problems with how this election was conducted and has alleged that there was significant fraud in Michigan," Hall said in a statement. "I am glad we were able to find time to make this work with the president’s legal team.

"This is an opportunity for us to get definitive answers — in-person — about Mr. Giuliani’s claims and evidence, while we work to provide clarity and transparency to people who have taken issue with our state’s election system."

The announcement came a week after the Board of State Canvassers voted 3-0 to certify President-elect Joe Biden's 154,000-vote victory. One Republican member of the board, Norm Shinkle, abstained.

Giuliani has said the Trump campaign identified 300,000 "illegitimate ballots" in Michigan but has not provided detailed specifics of how he arrived at that figure or evidence to back up the claim.

By allowing Giuliani to testify, Republican lawmakers are advancing "the Trump campaign’s radical attempt to undermine our elections and erode public confidence in our democracy," said House Minority Leader Christine Greig, D-Farmington Hills.

"It is a travesty that Michigan’s Republican leaders have repeatedly infused chaos into our state’s pandemic response to score divisive, partisan political points," Greig said. "Now, they’re continuing their political theater by perpetuating disinformation through sham committee hearings and baseless public statements."

The former New York City mayor has appeared before state lawmakers in Pennsylvania and Arizona in recent days to question the Nov. 3 election.

As news of Giuliani's appearance broke Tuesday, the Michigan Senate Oversight Committee was taking testimony on ballot counting at the TCF Center, where absentee ballots from across Detroit were tallied starting Nov. 3.

Outside the committee meeting room, dozens called for lawmakers to take testimony from Giuliani. Watching through a window, they chanted, "Rudy, Rudy, Rudy," at one point.

There were discussions about having Giuliani testify before the Michigan House Oversight Committee on Tuesday, but because of the logistical problems, the event was called off, Hall said previously.

cmauger@detroitnews.com