James Supports FOIA Expansion, Full COVID-19 Exonerations

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 01/27/2026) If elected governor, U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township) said he would support expanding the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to records in the governor's office and publicly disclose all of his personal finances in the same manner he's required to do so in Congress.

In releasing his transparency agenda, James also said he would require ethics clauses to be included in every agreement in his administration. He's also vowing to fund the state auditor general's office, strengthen whistleblower protections and conduct a 10-year audit of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and COVID-19 spending to “root out fraud, waste and abuse such as what was recently discovered on a massive scale in Minnesota."

James also wants to do his own investigation into “ghost employees” and the $9 million contract Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson handed out for the “botched campaign finance and lobbying disclosure debacle." While at the secretary of state's office, James wants an independent audit to make sure no non-citizens are voting or being summoned for jury duty.

On the ethics front, James would push for no fundraising on session days, an end to public entities being able to hire multi-client lobbyists, limiting legislative earmarks to only years with a budget surplus and putting a four-year stick in the revolving door between legislative service and lobbying. Under a James administration, there would be a full ban on gifts to legislators and staff, mandatory ethics training for government staff, and no non-disclosure agreements being signed by Michigan public officials with any private entities.

“Lansing is a mess – an endless cycle and revolving door of corruption and dishonesty,” James said, “Authentic freedom for the citizens of Michigan can only be achieved by restoring trust in our leaders. Instilled in me as a young cadet, the guiding principle in all of my endeavors has always been the West Point Honor Code: ‘A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.’ As the only candidate for governor who is a true outsider to Lansing, I’ll lead by example, lead the fight to clean up state government, and restore the people’s trust.”

James also rolled out his “CLEAR Initiative," which starts with creating an independent commission to audit all COVID-era enforcement actions, including citations, fines, license suspensions and shutdowns. He's vowing to open a public submission portal for individuals and businesses to report their experiences. At the end of the review, he's vowing to publish a report that outlines enforcement patterns, alleged double standards and instances where “public officials broke their own rules.”

He plans to clear any non-violent, low-level or first-time COVID citations, particularly those involving mask citations, distancing rules, or business capacity limits “that were later shown to be ineffective.” Fines or other financial penalties will be refunded. Clemency will be offered for unresolved enforcement actions.

Finally, he's calling for a 14-day limit on emergency orders allowed by the governor before legislative approval is required. He's also calling for “clear” legal standards on due process protections and enforcement action. He'd also like to reform the MDHHS' influence over county health departments.