Michigan Democrat Governor Gretchen Whitmer is taking heat over money funneling allegations. Evidently, Whitmer tried to award a lucrative state contract to track COVID-19 cases to her personal campaign team.
But Republican General Adam Laxalt, former Attorney General for Nevada, blasted her attempt during a “Tucker Carlson Tonight” segment. In his opinion, it is a blatant example of a conflict of interest.
Whitmer is one of the favorites for the Democratic Vice President nomination. But this scandal is a serious black mark against her.
Former AG Says Governor is Secretly Money Funneling
But GLCE is not a neutral company. In fact, it is owned by a Democrat consultant. Furthermore, the company planned to use software developed by yet another firm tied to Dem campaigns.
Contrary to Michigan state law, the contract was not approved by the State Emergency Operations Center. Instead, it was improperly approved by Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services.
Laxalt strongly condemned the subterfuge:
“So, this contract gets awarded to this Democratic group. And, politics and your official office are never supposed to overlap. And, Michigan is one of the only states in America where the governor and the legislature are exempted from Freedom of Information Act requests. So, she doesn’t have to turn over these records. She’s already rejected them.”
“…she’s basically said: ‘Look, it’s the pandemic and I’m just not going to be accountable to the people during a pandemic.’ Which, obviously, I think is outrageous.”
Whitmer Covers Her Tracks
Amid accusations of money funneling and other improprieties, Whitmer cancelled the contract one day awarding it. She promised to use another vendor and software program.
But it all seems like damage control after getting caught.
As Republican State Representative Shane Hernandez, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, says, “How could this happen in the first place?”