Thread by @jaketapper

Monday the Michigan Board of State Canvassers is supposed to certify the election results. The board has 2 Republicans and 2 Democrats.

@RepPaulMitchell, R-Michigan, says one of the Republicans has been planning for awhile to vote against certification. ...

2/ Mitchell says he spoke days ago with Norman Shinkle, one of the two GOP members of the Michigan Board of State Canvassers.

Shinkle indicated last week he would vote against certifying the election results, Mitchell says, until an investigation is completed...

3/ This is being done, Mitchell says, so as to push a delay *even though there is no evidence of fraud or malfeasance that would necessitate such a move.*

Depending on how the other GOP member of the board, Aaron Van Langevelde, votes, Mitchell tells CNN...

4/ ... either members of the Trump team (1) end up delaying the certification of the election results or (2) they have something that they can point to as evidence of unfairness, even if it isn’t. 

“It’s a win-win” for the Trump team, Mitchell says...

5/ ...since it will either be able to delay the inevitable Biden transition process or have more ammo to falsely claim Trump won the election.

“State election law provides for no process or ability to conduct such an ‘investigation,’” Mitchell tells CNN.

6/ Shinkle has previously said he is thinking about voting to delay the process; his wife Mary filed an affidavit for the since-dropped Trump campaign lawsuit trying to block the certification.

7/ On Friday, Mitchell co-authored an oped with Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-MI, calling on Trump to acknowledge the reality that Biden won Michigan by about 154,000 votes. “President Donald Trump should accept those facts and allow the rest of the county to move forward,” he wrote.

8/ CNN has been trying to reach Hinkle for days to no avail.