He hasn't looked at the evidence and isn't commenting on the strength or weaknesses of anybody's case, but former House Speaker and attorney Tom Leonard knows one thing about this week's criminal charges against Lee and Stephanie Chatfield: defending against the charges is going to be expensive.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer makes $159,300 per year and 262 state employees make more, along with 16 of the 19 department heads. Many department directors make even more than their boss, according to records obtained by MIRS through the Freedom of Information Act.

Attorney General Dana Nessel told the media Thursday that her office is working as “expeditiously as we possibly can” to get the campaign finance and sexual impropriety investigation into former House Speaker Lee Chatfield resolved.

It’s official – criminal charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder arising out of the Flint water crisis is dead after the Michigan Supreme Court Tuesday denied the Attorney General’s appeal request.

Legislators and statewide executives will need to publicly disclose their income and assets with the Secretary of State by April 15 under legislation introduced Tuesday afternoon and slated to be in front of a Senate committee on Wednesday (October 25).