News India Times

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Congressman Thanedar Files Complaint To Disqualify Fellow Democrat From Michigan Primary C ongressman Shri Thanedar, D-MI, is call- ing for disqualifying his opponent from the Democratic Party primary on grounds that a majority of the signatures on his applica- tion for the party’s support are allegedly not legitimate. Thanedar, who is the House ranking member on the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security in the Committee on Homeland Security, is urging theWayne County Clerk in Detroit, Michigan to remove Adam Hollier, a former state senator, from the August 6, 2024, primary ballot. Thanedar claims that out of the 1,555 signatures submitted by the Hollier campaign, only 761 are legitimate. Hollier is vying to unseat incumbent Thanedar, who is a first-term lawmaker, elected in 2022, to serve Michigan’s 13th District. Hollier previously ran for Congress and secured the second position in the primary, trailing behind Thanedar. Thanedar told News India Times that Detroit “needs competent representation” noting “When I saw a candidate submit less than the required signa- tures due to the signers being out of district (228), not registered (338), duplicated (90), and fraudulent (82), I decided to challenge to ensure that the integrity of our election process is maintained.” Representing the 13th District “is a big responsibility” he said adding it suffered “disproportionately during the COVID epidemic.” About 26 per cent of people in the District, live in poverty lacking economic opportunities and quality education. According to a report in Midwesterner, Thanedar has urged theWayne County Board of Canvassers to invali- date signatures gathered by Petition circulator Londell Thomas of HarperWoods, who collected 791 signatures including those of Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson, and Chair of the state Board of Canvassers, Mary Ellen Gurewitz. These signatures are suspected to be fraudulent, he contends. Benson is among the several elected officials to have endorsed Hollier. On April 29, 2024, in a sworn-in complaint before the State Board of Canvassers, State of Michigan, Thanedar challenged the certification of Hollier to the ballot for the primary. The complaint noted, “The Candidate [Hollier] has failed to provide the requisite number of valid signatures, the Complainant [Thanedar] hereby requests that the State Board of Canvassers officially determine that the Candidate, pursuant to MCL68.133, 168.544f and 168.552, has not filed nominating petitions that has been signed by the requisite number of qualified and registered elec- tors and deny the Candidate certification to the ballot for the Primary election.” In an affidavit, Mark Grebner of Practical Political Consulting, Michigan’s leading voter data expert, who examined the signatures submitted by Hollier’s cam- paign, stated that throughout his career he has reviewed over hundred sets of petitions, which include initiative, referendum, and nomination petitions to identify any invalid or fraudulent signatures within these petitions. “I have carefully examined copies of the peti- tions filed during April 2024 by the Hollier Cam- paign. As a result of that examination, I have de- termined that only 761 of the approximately 1,555 signatures submitted by the Hollier campaign are valid,” Grebner noted in his affidavit filed in sup- port of Thanedar. “The defects in these signatures fall into the following general categories: duplicate signers; fraudulent entries; unregistered voters; signers residing outside of the 13th Congressional District; wrong address; and forgery.” The Detroit News reported that Hollier’s lawyers W. AlanWilk and Melvin Hollowell on April 7th in a brief toWayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett ar- gued that Thanedar’s petition challenge is “legally flawed” since it was directed to the incorrect entity and filed under the wrong section of Michigan’s election law. However, the lawyers clarified that some signa- tures found on nine pages of supplemental peti- tions were probably falsified by (Londell) Thomas. Hollier’s campaign is currently taking steps to report the alleged signature fraud to the prosecutor of theWayne County. But, the campaign has urged officials not to dispose of any signatures or petitions that Thomas had vali- dated. “Our forthright agreement that Londell Thomas likely forged supplemental petitions S-2 through S-10 does not mean that other aspects of Candidate Thanedar’s complaint are valid,” Hollier’s lawyers wrote. “Whatever conduct Mr. Thomas may have engaged in outside the bounds of his authority, it is also that he appears to have gathered valid petition signatures. These signers are actual Americans expressing their constitutional rights which should not be taken from them as Mr. Thanedar requests.” Wayne County Clerk Garrett will initiate an investiga- tion and release a report to determine if Hollier’s “peti- tions meet the requirements set out under state law.” Thanedar’s main challengers in the August Demo- cratic primary include Hollier, and Detroit City Council- woman MaryWaters. A report in the Bridge Michigan noted that before the April 23 deadline for the August 6 primary, five Democrats including Thanedar, Hollier, MaryWaters, Shakira Lynn Hawkins, Mohammad Rabbi Alam along with a Republican Martell Bivings, submit- ted the necessary petition signatures. In the 2022 general election, Bivings, who previously worked as a business liaison with the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, contested against Thanedar and lost by a margin of al- most 50 percentage points. By T.Vishnudatta Jayaraman Photo:house.thanedar.gov Photo:CourtesyRep.Thanedar Congressman Shri Thanedar visits Detroit Enterprise School in Michigan on April 8, 2024. Congressman Shri Thanedar’s Complaint. U. S. Affairs News India Times (May 11 - May 17, 2024) May 17, 2024 4 FBI Sacramento Encouraging Indian-Origin Community To Report Extortion T he Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Sacramento Field Office is warning the public of an extortion scheme affecting individuals with familial or business ties to India. The field office is tracking several instances throughout its 34-county area of responsibility in which people were targeted for extortion and threatened with violence. These criminal acts are believed to be underreported. The FBI and its law enforcement partners urge the public to report these crimes to ensure the indi- viduals committing these alleged crimes face justice. “We are deeply concerned for the safety and economic security of our neighbors of Indian descent who have been targeted,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily, who leads the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “Criminals are targeting hard working, law-abiding business own- ers and are using thug tactics to extort them in clear violation of the law. Timely reporting of attempted extortion to the authorities will help law enforcement to identify and disrupt this criminal scheme, ensuring the safety and economic security of the community.” In recent extortion attempts, subjects demanded a large sum of money and threatened physical violence or death if the demand was not met. Individuals who disregarded the demands subsequently became victims of violence, to include targeted shootings at their residences and vehicles. Anyone who believes they are in im- mediate danger should call 911. Threats of violence intended to extort victims for a specified sum can be reported to the FBI by calling the local field office, submit- ting a tip online at tips.fbi.gov, or calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). The FBI can connect callers with language services to ensure clear communication for callers. (The press release was issued in several languages including English, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu) FBI Press Release May 7, 2024 PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT