Michigan's Republican Senate leader Aric Nesbitt has formally asked the Department of Justice to investigate Governor Gretchen Whitmer in connection with a $20 million fraud scheme — and the language he's using suggests he's not just fishing. He's throwing the net.
Remember when Whitmer was the darling of the Democratic Party? The woman who survived the FBI-orchestrated "kidnapping plot" spotlight and came out the other side with a book deal and a bigger ego? Well, $20 million in missing taxpayer money might be a little harder to spin.
Here's the situation. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has already slapped 16 felony charges on Fay Beydoun, a 62-year-old from Farmington Hills who allegedly misused a $20 million business accelerator grant. That's your money, by the way. Twenty million dollars that was supposed to help Michigan businesses, apparently funneled into what prosecutors are calling a fraud scheme.
But here's where it gets spicy. Beydoun isn't just some random grifter. According to Just The News, she's described as a political donor and close ally of Governor Whitmer. A crony. A friend of the family, if you will.
Nesbitt isn't mincing words. "Michigan deserves a governor who works for everyone in this state, not favored cronies who fund her lifestyle and campaigns," he said. Ouch.
He went further, writing directly to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to request the federal investigation. Why go over Nessel's head? Because, as Nesbitt pointed out, "This relationship creates an inherent conflict of interest that calls into question whether the Michigan attorney general can impartially investigate the governor." Translation: the state AG is too cozy with Whitmer to be trusted with this one.
And he wasn't done. "Let me be clear: if the governor is found complicit in this scheme to rob taxpayers, she must be held accountable under the law," Nesbitt declared. "We are going to follow the money, uncover the truth and deliver justice for the taxpayers of this state."
Now, we've all watched Democrats skate on things that would land any Republican in handcuffs before the ink dried on the indictment. So forgive us for having a healthy dose of skepticism about whether accountability will actually arrive.
But this one's different. You've got 16 felony charges already filed. You've got a direct money trail between the accused fraudster and the governor's political orbit. You've got a Senate leader publicly calling for a DOJ investigation. And you've got an Acting AG in Todd Blanche who isn't exactly known for covering for Democrats.
Nesbitt, who's also running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, clearly smells blood in the water. But even if you strip away the political motivation, the facts are the facts. Twenty million dollars in grant money. Sixteen felonies. A governor's close ally at the center of it all.
The walls are closing in on Gretchen Whitmer. Whether she knew about the fraud, enabled it, or just happened to surround herself with people who treat taxpayer money like a personal ATM — none of those options look good.
We'll be watching this one closely. Because $20 million doesn't just disappear without somebody very important knowing about it.