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Michigan SOS Jocelyn Benson Claims Trump Said She Should Be 'Potentially Executed'

(CNN) - Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says that in the aftermath of the 2020 election, former President Trump said that she should be tried for treason and potentially executed.

In an interview with NBC Benson alleges that former president Trump made threatening comments about her after she refused to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

"Even the president himself had called on me to be arrested and tried for treason, potentially executed," Benson said in the interview with NBC.

A spokesperson for former President Trump denied the allegation to NBC, saying that Benson knowingly lied throughout that interview.

In an interview with CNN, Benson explains how she learned what was said about her.

"I received a phone call at a time, when again, threats were abundant in the aftermath of the 2020 election, and this was right around the same time that people had showed up outside my house threatening me as well," said Benson. "And so, I received a call that this had happened and it was told to me through the perspective of you know, this is how bad things are getting."

Benson continued and said, "My focus at the time entirely was just on focusing on protecting the accurate results of the 2020 elections, so my mind and my thoughts shifted completely to that as I work to feel safe, but also to feel that the truth was on our side, the law was on our side, and that I wasn't going to back down to any threats from anyone, including the former president of the United States."

In the CNN interview, Benson was asked why she decided to talk about this particular moment now.

She said, "Because the threats to our election officials at every level continue to rise and are escalating especially as we enter into a new election cycle this year, so you know, I want Americans to know that local election officials, state officials, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, in cities and rural areas all across the country are facing threats simply for trying to do our jobs with integrity, and it's time for all of us to make sure election officials are able to be safe in their homes and doing their jobs."

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

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