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From the Chair
“Criminals”.
No, this isn’t about murder or other violent crimes (which have actually decreased under the Biden administration). It is about the criminal element that is infecting a segment of the Republican Party.
Let me be clear: I’m not branding all Republicans as criminals. I know from my days working for the Legislature that the majority of Republicans in public office are good, well-intentioned people. We can and do differ sharply on many issues, but it is a healthy debate.
However: there have far too many stories about some Republican leaders, elected and appointed, charged with and (in some cases) already convicted of crimes. It starts, of course, at the top with former President Trump. In Michigan, the headlines are equally disturbing:
- One former Republican House speaker convicted of accepting bribes, with investigations underway about two other former Speakers and a former Senate Republican leader
- 16 Republicans indicted for their roles in the Fake Electors scheme, including a former state Republican Party co-chair and three elected officials
- The 2022 GOP candidate for Attorney General, a state Representative and a county sheriff all facing indictments for tampering with voting machines
And now, Republicans are abusing recall elections to do what they couldn’t do in the 2022 election: gain control of the Michigan House of Representatives. Their 6 targets aren’t accused of crimes, malfeasance or misfeasance: the Republicans want them yanked out of office because, in a couple of cases, they voted to strengthen penalties against hate crimes … and for the others, because they voted to allow judges to temporarily take guns away from people who pose an imminent danger to themselves or others.
YOU CAN HELP THE LEGISLATORS THREATENED WITH RECALLS BY VOLUNTEERING AND/OR CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR CAMPAIGNS
- Jaime Churches, of Wyandotte
- Betsy Coffia, of Traverse City,
- Jennifer Conlin, of Ann Arbor,
- Sharon MacDonell, of Troy,
- Reggie Miller, of Van Buren Township
- Noah Arbit, of West Bloomfield
News Stories We’re Following This Week
State Politics and Policy
- Michigan local officials charged in alleged election scheme – Detroit Free Press
- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel Charges 16 ‘False Electors’ with Election Law and Forgery Felonies – Attorney General’s Office
- Transcript: Attorney General Nessel’s statement on the Fake Electors indictments
- Trump’s fake electors in Michigan face criminal charges – Detroit Free Press
- GOP officials call Nessel’s Trump elector charges a ‘witch hunt,’ defend slate – Detroit News
- Michigan removes clerk charged in ‘false electors’ scheme from election duty – Bridge Michigan
- Opinion | Michigan indicts alleged plotters in fake elector scheme. Here’s what it means. – The Washington Post
- What we know about the 16 Michigan Trump electors facing charges- Detroit News
- Records: Wentworth secured $6.8M grant to dredge lake where former aide lives – Bridge Michigan
- Michigan: Double payment concerns suspended $25M Clare health campus grant – Bridge Michigan
- Five Michigan House Democrats, one Republican face recall threats – Bridge Michigan
- Mayoral bids could shake up Dems’ majority in Michigan House – Detroit Free Press
- Michigan GOP bank accounts down to $93K, recording reveals – Detroit News
- Dems seek to flip historically Republican congressional seat in West Michigan in 2024 ⋆ Michigan Advance
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs ‘transformative’ $24.3 billion education budget and more to know – Bridge Michigan
- 5 things to know about $24.3B school budget Whitmer signed – Detroit Free Press
- Whitmer approves laws implementing Prop 2, election changes – Detroit Free Press
- What’s in the Budget to Lower Costs for Michiganders? – Governor’s Office
- Opinion: Whitmer creates new Michigan educational reform department – John LIndstrom – Detroit Free Press
- ‘This Is a Really Big Deal’: How College Towns Are Decimating the GOP – POLITICO
- Sparse turnout for gun rights rally with Kyle Rittenhouse after Michigan gun reform laws signed ⋆ Michigan Advance
- Michigan to add organ donor option to state income tax form – Detroit Free Press
- Traverse City salon Studio 8 Hair Lab refuses to service trans clients – Detroit Free Press
- Michigan AG: Salon Owner’s Refusal of Service to Transgender Clients Unacceptable – The Advocate
- Man convicted of threatening Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth – Lansing State Journal
Smile a Little!
- President Biden on MGT’s “Endorsement” of Him – Twitter
- Gretchen Whitmer Would Like You to Meet ‘Governor Barbie’ – The New York Times
National Policy and Politics
- New Florida teaching standards say African Americans received some ‘personal benefit’ from slavery – POLITICO
- Trump Plans to Expand Presidential Power Over Agencies in 2025 – The New York Times
- Trump prosecutions consume campaign funds and messaging as charges mount – The Washington Post
- Senate panel adopts Supreme Court ethics bill – The Washington Post
- GOP struggles to explain opposition to Supreme Court ethics bill – Maddow Blog
- House Republicans seek in cuts to rail, water infrastructure spending – The Washington Post
- GOP donors fuel RFK Jr’s presidential campaign- Judd Legum @ Popular Information
- No Labels releases proposals to guide third-party presidential ticket – The Washington Post
- Will Cornel West turn the 2024 presidential election into a rerun of 1948? – Brookings
- Arizona escalates probe into alleged efforts to swing election for Trump – The Washington Post
- Right-wing activists seek to ban “Arthur’s Birthday” from Florida school libraries – Judd Legum @Popular Information
- Ta-Nehisi Coates Shows Up to SC School Meeting Over Banning His Book- Daily Beast
- LGBTQ-related earmarks stripped out by GOP during House markup – Roll Call
- How Harlan Crow Cut His Taxes With Clarence Thomas Cruises — ProPublica
- Tommy Tuberville pledged to ‘donate every dime’ to veterans. He hasn’t. – The Washington Post
- Why Republican state AGs are seeking out-of-state medical records- Maddox Blog
- DeSantis PAC uses AI-generated Trump voice in ad attacking ex-president – POLITICO
- Door knocker complaints illustrate risks of DeSantis super PAC strategy – The Washington Post