LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Explosive allegations that Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer directed Michigan State Police (MSP) leadership to diversify the agency through race-conscious hiring and promotions are now being taken to the U.S. Department of Justice.
In a Sept. 11 letter obtained by Michigan News Source, attorney James Fett of Fett & Fields, P.C. asks the DOJ Civil Rights Division to open a federal pattern-or-practice investigation into MSP hiring and promotions – and ultimately into DEI practices across Whitmer’s administration.
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The allegations aren’t based solely on political rhetoric. Fett cites sworn depositions, declarations, legislative testimony, litigation records and an MSP Professional Standards Section investigation.
Whitmer took office January 1, 2019. Just days later, she issued Executive Directive 2019-09, requiring every principal state department – including MSP – to designate an “Equity and Inclusion Officer” responsible for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within the department. That directive provides important context for the allegations now being raised about how those policies were carried out inside MSP.
‘The Governor Put Him There’
Perhaps the most explosive allegation comes from former MSP Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Inspector Sarah Krebs.
Krebs testified that in August 2024 she told Michigan Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer Poppy Hernandez that MSP Director Col. James Grady was holding positions for selected candidates and that race and gender were influencing employment decisions.
According to Krebs, Hernandez pointed her finger at her and responded: “The governor put him there to do just that.”
Krebs said Hernandez told her Grady had been appointed “to diversify the agency” and had been given “those exact directions.”
When Krebs objected that such conduct could be illegal, Hernandez allegedly responded: “That’s what he’s been instructed to do. And you better support him in doing it.”
Grady Allegedly Said Whitmer Gave the Order
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Krebs isn’t the only source cited.
Former MSP Major Ryan Pennell testified that Grady told him Whitmer had instructed him to “diversify the leadership team” and that former MSP Director Joseph Gasper had received the same instruction but had been unable to accomplish it. Pennell testified that during a tour of MSP posts, Grady said he wanted leadership to include “more people that look like him” while pointing to his arm.
Grady disputes those accounts. According to the letter, Grady testified that Whitmer never discussed diversity with him and denied telling anyone that she had tasked him with diversifying MSP.
The allegations come against a backdrop of broader turmoil within MSP under Grady’s leadership. In June 2025, 98% of responding members of the Michigan State Police Troopers Association voted that they had no confidence in the leadership of Grady and Chief Deputy Director Lt. Col. Aimee Brimacombe. The Michigan State Police Command Officers Association held a simultaneous vote, with more than 90% of responding members also voting no confidence.
‘Diversity Is Black and White’
Fett alleges the diversity push went far beyond recruiting. The letter accuses MSP leadership of prioritizing Black applicants for the MSP recruit school, creating or holding positions open for preferred Black candidates, preselecting Black candidates before positions are created or posted, manipulating hiring processes and promoting some employees multiple ranks.
Pennell also testified that when he described diversity as including geography, socioeconomic background and upbringing during a promotion interview, Grady stopped him. “That is not diversity,” Grady allegedly said. “Diversity is Black and White.”
Retaliation After Raising the Alarm
The letter also paints a picture of what allegedly happened to MSP officials who pushed back against the agency’s hiring practices – with Krebs among the most prominent examples.
According to Fett, Krebs told Grady during a June 25, 2024 meeting that manipulating hiring and promotions to achieve diversity “is going to be illegal.” Within hours, the letter says, Grady cancelled their future one-on-one meetings and then refused to speak with her for six months. Krebs was subsequently removed from Human Resources, stripped of her 27-person Recruiting and Selection staff, moved from an office to a cubicle, had her take-home MSP vehicle taken away, saw her performance bonus reduced from 4% to 2.5%, was subjected to an internal Professional Standards investigation and temporarily lost access to an internal-affairs database she needed for her work. Krebs subsequently retired from the MSP on October 1, 2025.
Krebs wasn’t the only official Fett says faced consequences for resisting Grady. Former Major Ryan Pennell testified that after repeatedly emphasizing merit when Grady raised diversity, he was excluded from interview panels and told his contract would not be renewed. Major Beth Clark, who had supported Krebs for a captain position, was also not renewed; Grady allegedly said Clark “did not share his vision.” Fett argues the result was a command structure where disagreement carried a price. As Krebs put it in legislative testimony: “If you don’t agree with him, like me, you get pushed out.”
DOJ Asked to Step In
Fett says MSP’s internal controls, lawsuits and legislative oversight have failed to stop what he characterizes as unlawful racial discrimination, so he is asking DOJ to use its Title VII authority to investigate MSP – and the Whitmer administration.
Fett says in the letter, “The MSP DEI practices are an outrage. They are detrimental to public safety and undermine MSP morale and efficiency.” He adds, “The need for the Department’s intervention is urgent,” asking for a pattern-or-practice investigation into MSP as well as the DEI practices of all other State departments.
The Question Now Leads to Whitmer
The allegations now put Whitmer’s role squarely under scrutiny. While Grady denies the governor directed him to diversify MSP, Fett argues testimony from multiple former MSP officials warrants a federal investigation into whether the alleged race-conscious practices originated inside MSP – or from the governor’s office – and whether those practices violated state or federal law.
