This week, the Republican-controlled Michigan House Oversight Committee took significant steps by issuing numerous subpoenas to various state departments, including the office of the Attorney General, as part of its ongoing investigations.
The committee has frequently exercised its subpoena authority recently, particularly targeting agencies within the Democrat-led executive branch.
Among the subpoenas were two that demanded access to documents connected to the cessation of a criminal probe by the Attorney General’s office into a Democratic fundraiser.
Traci Kornak, once the treasurer of the Michigan Democratic Party, faced investigation for insurance fraud back in 2022. Despite internal measures to maintain impartiality due to Kornak’s connection with Attorney General Nessel, some Republican committee members allege evidence suggests Nessel might have remained informed and possibly influenced the case’s conclusion.
Oversight Committee Chair, Representative Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay), justified the subpoenas as essential for refining Michigan’s campaign finance regulations, hinting at potential impeachment considerations.
“The House has the power to ability to impeach civil officers of the State of Michigan where corrupt conduct in office occurs,” DeBoyer noted. “In order to faithfully exercise its responsibilities in this regard, the House is entitled to investigate the Department of Attorney General’s decision to decline issuing criminal charges in this matter.”
An additional subpoena sought documentation and dialogues with the Department of State concerning a campaign aimed at incorporating LGBTQ protections into Michigan’s civil rights statutes.
Tuesday’s subpoena issuance also demanded information from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources about its game ranch regulations and its Canadian geese euthanasia initiative designed for wildlife management.
The committee requested a personal appearance from Michigan Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel, a cabinet member under Governor Gretchen Whitmer, as part of their investigative efforts.
Representative John Roth (R-Interlochen) expressed concerns about the MDHHS in a statement, saying, “House Republicans have raised serious questions for months about troubling reports involving MDHHS — including children sleeping on floors, young people being placed in unvetted out-of-state facilities, instances of welfare and Medicaid fraud, and taxpayer-funded services being extended to individuals without legal status.”
“Our goal has always been to work collaboratively behind the scenes to investigate these concerns, but unfortunately, we have not been able to secure the cooperation we had hoped for from the department,” Roth added.
Committee Republicans accused Hertel and the MDHHS of obstructing their inquiries, stating she declined several invitations to testify. However, an MDHHS spokesperson explained there was a scheduling issue, not an avoidance of the committee.
MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin stated, “A subpoena was not necessary to compel the director to appear before the committee,” and shared a letter where Hertel asked for a different date and a list of discussion topics for her appearance.
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