LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Senate Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) urged the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate an alleged misuse of a $20 million taxpayer-funded grant in a letter Thursday.
Background.
In 2022, Fay Beydoun, an executive board member for Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), secured the $20 million grant for her nonprofit, Global Link International. However, the grant was canceled this year after allegations of misuse.
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According to the letter, “allegations of misuse, including a reported $550,000 salary for Beydoun and questionable expenditures such as a $4,500 coffee maker.”
It continues: “Email records suggest that Beydoun coordinated directly with Whitmer’s office to obtain the grant. There are also indications that the governor personally intervened to ensure its approval by the MEDC. These actions raise serious concerns about conflicts of interest and potential abuse of authority.”
Regarding Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s involvement in the case, the letter states: “A particularly alarming aspect of this case involves a letter, reportedly signed by Whitmer and drafted by Beydoun, which encouraged Qatari officials to communicate via personal devices rather than secure, official channels. Given Qatar’s influential role in international relations, including hosting U.S. military assets and mediating global conflicts, any effort to bypass public records communication protocols could be seen as an attempt to shield this arrangement from the public while dealing with a foreign entity. Such actions may also contravene federal laws governing the protection of sensitive communications.”
Foreign influence concerns.
Nesbitt expressed his concerns regarding potential foreign influence in a press release.
“The more this web is untangled, the more serious our concerns become,” Nesbitt said in the press release. “Reports that Gov. Whitmer signed and sent a letter to Qatari officials, encouraging them to communicate off the record with Beydoun, are especially troubling given the governor’s own recent travel to Qatar.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is conducting a state-level investigation into the grant’s misuse, according to Nesbitt’s letter.