St. Clair Today

On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee granted State Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township) the authority to issue subpoenas to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Elizabeth Hertel, and Attorney General Dana Nessel. This decision marks a significant move in the Legislature's use of subpoena power in Michigan.

“House leadership agreed to seek these subpoenas because we take our commitment to making our state government more transparent and accountable seriously,” said DeBoyer, who chairs the Oversight Committee. “We are tired of seeing government actors with no regard for the public face zero accountability. That is not how representative government ought to work, and it ought to stop. If it wasn’t clear before that we are not messing around, it should be now.”

The reasons for authorizing these subpoenas involve allegations of misconduct within the government. The case involving Attorney General Nessel has raised particular concern. The focus is on potential criminal activities by a top Democrat official and an organization connected to a member of Nessel’s family. These cases have reportedly been overlooked and insufficiently investigated.

The Secretary of State forwarded a criminal referral to the Attorney General’s office alleging that an organization named Bipartisan Solutions engaged in a fraudulent dark money scheme supporting a ballot initiative co-chaired by someone close to Nessel’s family. Despite declining to investigate this matter, Nessel is pursuing criminal charges against a political fundraiser linked to the Republican Party for similar allegations.

“The people of Michigan are understandably wary of politicians using the powers of government to punish their political opponents and get their friends off the hook,” DeBoyer stated. “There’s a lot we have yet to learn about Dana Nessel’s decisions, but that is exactly why we are seeking a subpoena on her office. This investigation will allow us to uncover the truth and learn about any potential misconduct. Regardless of what occurred, we need to be absolutely certain that our state’s highest-ranking law enforcement official is not helping her friends and family evade the law. If the Attorney General has nothing to hide, she should welcome transparency into her house.”