Michigan House Speaker Lambasts Governor Whitmer

As the alleged kidnapping plot against Governor Gretchen Whitmer unfolds, a new drama of sorts is building at the state Capitol. This one surrounding complaints from Michigan State House Speaker Lee Chatfield. He made a number of social media posts and wrote an open letter to the Governor over the weekend about the plot, which is also alleged to have been preparing to attempt to overthrow state government. An attack on the state capitol itself is claimed to have been part of the plan.

Chatfield says that means members of the State House of Representatives and the State Senate might have been caught up in the mess. But Chatfield says the Governor didn’t say word one. It’s been revealed that the Governor was informed of the federal and state investigation into the men involved in the plot long before arrests were made last Wednesday. But the House Speaker says the Governor nor anyone from her staff bothered to let legislative leaders in on the potential danger. Chatfield says legislators' lives matter too. While not publicly raising this angle, Chatfield’s claim also infers no word of caution from the Michigan State Police, or local FBI agents either. Chatfield posted about the issue on his Facebook page over the weekend saying,

“Governor, we need to cooperate more. Why weren’t we in the Legislature warned of the plot to take hostages at the Capitol? The plot by these terrorists was against us too. Why weren’t House sergeants warned? You knew, and we weren’t even given a warning. We had people working in the building every day doing essential work, and their lives matter too.”

Chatfield is also taking the Governor to task over her attempts to place the blame on the plot on President Donald Trump. Chatfield says,

“Hatred and violence are wrong, and that’s why I’ve continually denounced it. And I agree, it’s time to tone the partisan rhetoric and “the heat down” as you’ve said. Will you do the same for President Trump? You’ve arguably been his biggest critic this year in the country. You even fundraised this week off this plot, now making it political, which is sad.”

Chatfield says he is ready to work with the Governor to deal with pressing issues of the state but he can’t do it alone. The Speaker says the Governor has so far shown no signs of working with the legislature to deal with major issues.