Lawmakers slam SBA 'stonewalling' over Michigan voter memo as campaigning claims surface

EXCLUSIVE: Small business leaders successful Congress lambasted nan Small Business Administration (SBA) 1 week earlier Election Day, accusing nan agency of continuing to "stonewall" oversight into its widely-criticized activity pinch Michigan’s elections department.

Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, chair of nan House Small Business Committee, antecedently noted nan SBA utilized a 2021 President Biden executive order on "promoting entree to voting" to forge a "Memorandum of Understanding" (MOU) pinch nan Michigan Department of State.

In March, nan SBA announced its "first-ever" elector registration statement pinch nan Michigan agency. On May 7, Williams' committee issued a uncommon lawsuit for SBA aides aft what nan sheet claimed was successful portion a nonaccomplishment to guardant documents relating to a programme "diverting [agency] resources distant from assisting Main Street" toward partisan ends.

On Tuesday, Williams told Fox News Digital that pinch 7 days to go, "the Biden-Harris SBA is still stonewalling our investigation into their partisan elector registration scheme."

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"The deficiency of accountability has been astounding, and it’s clear that they are doing thing much than stalling until nan predetermination is over."

That should beryllium concerning to nan public, Williams suggested, adding nan committee will proceed to usage "every assets available" to behaviour oversight of SBA.

The measurement nan MOU has been acted upon is arguable and perchance unconstitutional, Williams said, arsenic he and others successful Congress antecedently accused nan SBA of utilizing it to chimney resources to a plaything authorities successful a partisan way. He antecedently said nan SBA is "diverting its resources distant from assisting Main Street truthful it tin registry Democratic voters" successful Michigan. 

Meanwhile, nan apical Republican connected nan Senate’s sheet said that moreover though early voting is underway successful Michigan and elsewhere, "we still person nary hint really overmuch nan management is trying to put its thumb connected nan standard successful cardinal battleground states."

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said it is fitting that nan management has "prioritized" enacting its wide schedule complete responding successful afloat to oversight efforts.

The SBA, nether Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, antecedently based on done a spokesperson to Fox News Digital that nan agency has rightly provided "extensive testimony, briefings, transcribed interviews, documents and different accusation successful consequence to legislature inquires, including nan committee’s astir caller subpoena."

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Rep. Roger Williams, a Republican from Texas, speaks during a House Financial Services Committee proceeding successful Washington, D.C., connected Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024.

The apical Democrat connected Williams’ panel, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., antecedently criticized her committee’s subpoenas successful nan SBA-Michigan case, saying they showed that Republicans "have rejected these principles to prosecute a partisan inquiry."

The committee was besides approached pinch unconfirmed concerns astir 1 of Guzman’s deputies, Fox News Digital has learned. Those who approached nan committee claimed Associate Administrator for Field Operations Jennifer Kim, who is reportedly connected a general time off of absence.

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Voting stations. (iStock)

The committee was presented pinch allegations that Kim, a erstwhile organizer for nan campaigns of Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and President Biden, according to her LinkedIn page, is either conducting aliases volunteering for Democratic run efforts successful a plaything authorities and utilizing government-issued exertion erstwhile doing so.

The committee antecedently requested nan SBA’s mixed recreation argumentation and recreation calendars of apical staff, but communicated that they were ne'er received.

A spokesperson for nan SBA told Fox News Digital connected Tuesday that immoderate allegations of "stonewalling" are "demonstrably false."

"For astir 2 years, nan SBA has cooperated pinch nan committee’s inquiry, testifying astatine aggregate hearings, providing nan committee unit pinch briefings, making agency officials disposable for transcribed interviews, and producing thousands of pages of documents responsive to their inquiry," nan spokesperson said. 

"Time and again, nan SBA has shown that nan committee’s claims are baseless."

When asked astir nan allegations regarding Kim, nan spokesperson said nan agency does not remark connected unit matters.