LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt is keeping the pressure on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and her ties to indicted businesswoman and Democratic donor Fay Beydoun.

Nesbitt, who is running as a Republican for governor, wrote a letter to Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and requested a federal investigation into the Whitmer administration. Nesbitt called Whitmer and Beydoun’s entanglements a “‘pay to play’ scheme.”

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In a letter to Blanche, Nesbitt wrote, “Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel maintains a well-documented personal friendship and political alliance with Gov. Whitmer. This relationship creates an inherent conflict of interest that calls into question whether the Michigan attorney general can impartially investigate the governor.”

Nesbitt’s letter outlines the timeline of the alleged fraud. On May 6, Nessel charged Beydoun with 16 felonies. The charges allege Beydoun used a $20 million grant pushed by Whitmer and approved by the Legislature in 2022 for personal and lavish expenses rather than for Beydoun’s now defunct nonprofit. Court records show Beydoun, an appointee of Whitmer and a donor to her campaign, pushed for the grant directly through work with the governor’s administration.

The alleged tangled web also includes Quentin Messer Jr., president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Nessel called the MEDC a “quasi-public, quasi-private” entity, but so far has stopped short of naming Whitmer as a co-conspirator or filing charges against Whitmer. Beydoun served on the MEDC’s Executive Committee.

In addition, Nessel’s office released records indicating that Beydoun scheduled a meeting with Whitmer on Dec. 9, 2021. The meeting’s “agenda” referenced several funding earmarks, including “$330k first term.” Nessel said her office believes the $330,000 is related to political fundraising.