(Source: MIRS.news, Published 12/21/2023) Democratic leadership in the House and Senate pledged transparency and ethics reform today in response to the combined 21 criminal charges against Rob and Anne Minard for bilking at least $525,000 out of various political action committees and 501(c)4s.
As outlined by Attorney General Dana Nessel Thursday, the Minards handled “substantial amounts of money” with no real oversight, public or private. Different entities were presented with and paid the same receipts without anyone knowing the difference.
Political fundraising and spending has “remained in the dark and hidden away” for far too long, Nessel said. Dark money accounts, like one she confessed to once using, are “functional conduits of dark money” that can accept unlimited donations from corporations without disclosing their donors.
She called for reform immediately upon lawmakers' return in November. Donors, lobbyists, staffers, fundraisers, strategists, lawkeepers and bookkeepers and elected need to operate under common transparency rules.
“What I'm saying is that we need to change the rules,” Nessel said. “We need to change them for everyone. From time to time, I hear 'Why don't you voluntarily disclose this?' It's like asking somebody, ‘You voluntarily go 55 miles an hour, but for everybody else, it’s discretionary.'”
Both Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson cited how “inadequate government ethics laws” leave people vulnerable to abuses like those announced today. The two vowed to work together to enact “real reforms that can ensure and restore the public’s faith in their elected leaders and in our democratic system.”
Legislative leaders said they’re ready to be willing partners.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) and House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) said the “long-awaited day” is the first of what they expect to be “multiple steps in addressing the unparalleled level of corruption that was celebrated in Lee Chatfield’s inner ring.”
“We know that Attorney General Nessel and her team will leave no stone unturned in holding accountable those who flagrantly defied the law, and we will use the totality of the evidence revealed in this case to help inform future legislative action,” reads the statement from Brinks and Tate.
Attorney General Nessel’s press conference struck a chord with House Ethics Commission Chair Erin Byrnes (D-Dearborn) in that it exemplifies the need for “transformational change” in campaign finance and transparency.
Policy reform is a piece, but so is making sure there are people in place to review the reports in a timely manner.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” she said.
Likewise, Senate Elections and Ethics Committee Chair Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) pledged to “shine light on the actions in and around Michigan government after the “incredibly disheartening” news about people in the Lee Chatfield orbit “gamed our political system and took advantage of others for their own personal gain.”
“As chairman of the Senate Elections and Ethics Committee, it is my duty to close the gaps that allow for this type of corruption to take place,” Moss said.
