Indicted lawyer DePerno represents Michigan GOP governor hopeful Perry Johnson in John James suit

A former Michigan attorney general candidate currently facing felony charges for tampering with voting machines is now leading a legal charge against U.S. Rep. John James (R-MI) in the state’s GOP gubernatorial primary.

Detroit News reporter Chad Livengood reported that James’ primary opponent, Perry Johnson, is being represented by Matt DePerno, a man accused of criminally obtaining voting machines used in the 2020 presidential election.

According to Detroit News, Johnson’s lawsuit alleges that James’ campaign violated Michigan law and misled people into thinking that he was the incumbent governor in Michigan. The lawsuit points to the “John James governor” logo, which is featured at the top of James’ campaign website.

The suit alleges that without the language “John James for Governor,” his campaign is conveying that he is the incumbent governor of Michigan, not Gretchen Whitmer. James’ spokeswoman Hannah Osantowske told Detroit News that Perry’s lawsuit is a “desperate ploy” that will be “as successful as the $30 million he spent opposing Trump,” referencing his failed 2024 presidential bid.

James was once the Republican frontrunner in the gubernatorial race but is now dealing with a contentious primary with Johnson. James has faced several campaign setbacks, including a lack of support from President Donald Trump, poor polling numbers and Johnson’s eight-figure ad blitz. Johnson, a 78-year-old multimillionaire who is mostly self-financing his campaign, also took a slim one-point lead over James in a recent poll from Emerson College. Michigan’s primary elections will be held on Aug. 4.

DePerno, who earned Trump’s endorsement in his failed Michigan Attorney General bid in 2022, is a lawyer who unsuccessfully tried to prove widespread voter fraud in Michigan in a lawsuit that was rejected in 2022.

In 2023, prosecutors in Michigan charged DePerno with undue possession of a voting machine, willfully damaging a voting machine and conspiracy. They allege that DePerno, along with former Michigan state Rep. Daire Rendon and attorney Stephanie Lambert Junttila, engaged in a conspiracy to illegally obtain and examine voting machines in Barry, Missaukee and Roscommon counties that were used in the 2020 presidential election.

Both pleaded not guilty to the charges and a preliminary examination is underway to determine if their cases will go to trial.

Last month, DePerno appeared before a Michigan House subcommittee hearing on his case — already an unusual occurrence — and appeared to ask House Republicans to “look into” defunding the Attorney General’s office, who is prosecuting him.