Michigan’s Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer refused an invitation to testify before a special oversight committee created by the state legislature to examine her widely criticized handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Republican state lawmakers on Thursday requested that Whitmer testify before the Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic, which was created after the governor awarded a lucrative coronavirus-related contract to a major Democratic consulting firm that had previously worked for her campaign. Whitmer said she would not testify during a Friday press conference, citing the legislature’s ongoing lawsuit over her use of executive authority throughout the pandemic.
“At this point we are in a legal battle and I don’t think that testifying in front of the committee makes a lot of sense,” Whitmer said. “So I won’t be accepting the invitation.”
Committee chairman Matt Hall slammed Whitmer’s decision in a Friday statement, saying the governor “didn’t even wait 24 hours to decide she was not willing to be honest and forthright with them.”
“The COVID-19 outbreak has ushered in unprecedented times for our state, altering lives and livelihoods. Many people feel like they don’t have a voice as decisions are being made,” Hall said. “Our committee has allowed people to have a platform to make their voice heard, so I am disappointed the governor will not offer Michigan residents the clarity they need and deserve by testifying before our select committee.” – READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --