Theis Mum On Support For Impeachment Effort
November 23, 2020
By Jon King / jking@whmi.com
A local lawmaker is remaining quiet on whether or not she supports an unlikely effort to impeach Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
On Thursday, three Republican representatives introduced impeachment articles against Whitmer, a Democrat, claiming she committed crimes and misdemeanors and exceeded her authority in violation of the Michigan Constitution. The resolution, introduced by Rep. Beau LaFave of Iron Mountain and co-sponsored by Reps. Matt Maddock of Milford Township and Daire Rendon of Lake City, was in response to the latest pandemic orders issued through the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services which closed down in-person learning at high schools and colleges, prohibited indoor dining and restricted indoor and outdoor gatherings until December 8th. The orders follow a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations across the state.
Whitmer has faced death threats, including a plot to kidnap and kill her that was foiled by the FBI, because of her past COVID-19 directives. However, Maddock claimed in a Facebook post there was a “growing list” of legislators supporting the impeachment effort, including State Senator Lana Theis of Brighton Township. Several messages to Theis and her staff asking to confirm if she was in support of the effort were not returned.
The effort to impeach Whitmer over her administration’s pandemic actions has already been signaled dead on arrival by Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, who last week indicated he would not support bringing such a resolution to the floor for debate.
In response to the effort, Whitmer’s press secretary Tiffany Brown issued a statement on behalf of the governor. “Governor Whitmer doesn't have any time for partisan politics or people who don't wear masks, don't believe in science, and don't have a plan to fight this virus. Right now, she is focused on saving lives. The governor will continue to work hard for all 10 million Michiganders. This is about Michigan vs. COVID-19. Governor Whitmer doesn't care if you're a Trump Republican or a Biden Democrat. We are all in this together."
The emergency powers that Whitmer had been using were revoked in October when the Michigan Supreme Court ruled the 1945 law she was basing them on was unconstitutional. The latest orders were issued through the state health department and were based on a more than 100-year-old law giving the health department authority to take such actions during a public health emergency.
As of Sunday, there had been more than 302,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan since the start of the pandemic, with nearly 8,500 deaths.