LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel has built her brand as one of the country’s top Trump antagonist, filing or joining roughly 32 lawsuits targeting the president and his policies. But now the tables are turning and she has become the one in the crosshairs.
Nessel has been subpoenaed by the Michigan House Oversight Committee to answer questions about alleged conflicts of interest and stonewalling lawmakers’ document requests. She’s expected to testify September 16, in what promises to be a high-stakes grilling from a bipartisan panel tired of her “my timeline, not yours” approach.
Conflicts close to home.
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At the heart of this drama are two eyebrow-raising cases her office appears reluctant to deal with. One involves Bipartisan Solutions, a group tied to Nessel’s wife Alanna Maguire, which was accused of running a dark-money scheme to funnel donations toward a ballot initiative.
Despite a referral from Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Attorney General’s office has yet to take meaningful action. The second case involves former Michigan Democratic Party treasurer and Nessel’s personal friend Traci Kornak, accused of using the account of an elderly client to fraudulently bill an insurance company. Emails obtained through FOIA raise questions about Attorney General Dana Nessel’s role in the investigation, according to House Oversight Chair Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Twp.).
In a recent statement, DeBoyer emphasized, “These two troubling situations raise many conflict of interest questions that people would like answers on. Our role as a legislative committee is to ensure state government, its various departments and elected officials are operating with integrity and not abusing the public’s trust. Speaking with the Attorney General on these issues will deliver that essential layer of accountability, and we look forward to hearing from her.”
From prosecutor to defendant?
DeBoyer is accusing Nessel of stonewalling the committee, while other agencies have been cooperative. “No one in Michigan should be above the law,” he said in his statement. “The Attorney General has thumbed her nose at the House Oversight Committee’s responsibilities to the people and its subpoena power. Her office previously responded to our committee’s request for documents by saying that she’d provide them on her own timeline with no firm, certain date for when they’d be coming.”
DeBoyer added in his statement, “Attorney General Nessel is trying to play hardball by stonewalling our lawfully issued subpoenas, and she is shirking her responsibility as an elected official by doing so. What’s there to hide?”
Pushback from Nessel’s office.
Nessel’s office insists they’re fulfilling requests, noting that the AG has testified “dozens of times” before the legislature. Nessel spokesperson Kimberly Bush told MLive, “Attorney General Nessel has never required a subpoena to provide documents to or to appear before the legislature. She has testified dozens of times, oftentimes at her own request, on bills brought forth that are important to the office, on the department’s budget, and proactively at the start of each term before each chamber’s judiciary committees.”
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Bush added, “As with previous topics of interest to the Oversight Committee, our department is working on fulfilling their request and has communicated as much to the Chair. Today’s vote does not change that.”
The Trump takedown queen gets a taste of her own medicine.
Nessel’s relentless crusade against Donald Trump – filing lawsuit after lawsuit over everything from election rules to environmental policies – has made her a hero to the Democratic base. But now the tables have turned. She’s the one in the hot seat, facing accusations of selective enforcement and political favoritism from Republicans and even some Democrats on the Oversight Committee. With subpoenas flying and her credibility on the line, Nessel is in the unfamiliar role of dodging tough questions instead of firing them off.
