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Oversight subcommittee documents testimony alleging misuse of state power across multiple agencies
Summary
Representative Regas presented testimony and hearings alleging the "weaponization" of state government, including claims about the attorney general's handling of Flint prosecutions, aggressive COVID-era enforcement, and DNR enforcement actions affecting farmers and wildlife rehabilitators.
Representative Regas, chair of the Weaponization of State Government subcommittee, summarized a series of hearings in which witnesses testified that government authority had been misused to intimidate or punish citizens and businesses.
Regas said former attorneys general Bill Schuette and Mike Cox testified about politicalization within the attorney general's office, particularly alleging dismantling of the prosecution team and charging decisions related to the Flint water crisis. The subcommittee has subpoenaed internal financial records from the AG’s office related to those decisions, Regas said.
The subcommittee also reviewed testimony from small-business owners who described severe penalties following COVID-19 enforcement actions, including one barber fined $10,000 and stripped of licenses and a restaurant owner jailed for four days and facing large legal fees. Regas said the committee received emails in testimony that, in the committee’s view, showed forum shopping and pressure to pursue harsh penalties.
Regas reported numerous complaints concerning the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, including allegations that DNR enforcement used vague rules (for example, on an invasive-species order) to treat heritage pig breeds as illegal, and instances where DNR officials allegedly used undercover techniques to gather evidence. The subcommittee has issued a subpoena to the DNR for records concerning feral pigs and Canadian geese enforcement, Regas said.
Regas summarized the subcommittee’s purpose as documenting these allegations, issuing records requests and subpoenas where appropriate, and recommending reforms to prevent government authority being used for political ends.
