An explosive report from the Detroit Inspector General found Mayor Duggan gave preferential treatment to an organization run by a woman with close ties to him, and his chief of staff ordered two other top aides to delete emails related to the program.
October 21, 2019
An explosive report from the Detroit Inspector General found Mayor Duggan gave preferential treatment to an organization run by a woman with close ties to him, and his chief of staff ordered two other top aides to delete emails related to the program.
The two city employees who carried out the orders to delete the emails were Chief Development Officer Ryan Friedrichs and his deputy. Friedrichs is the husband of Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. The inspector general wrote that Friedrichs abused his authority and should be disciplined.
The Detroit Free Press reported, “It is illegal in Michigan to destroy public records, but the inspector general’s report did not determine whether Wiley or any other staffers involved in deleting the emails broke any laws. That could be determined by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s public integrity unit, which also is investigating the matter.”
Attorney General Dana Nessel, who has close ties to Secretary Benson, previously confirmed the Attorney General’s office had shifted from a review to an investigation of claims from Detroit employees that they were directed to delete emails related to the nonprofit.
“The destruction of public records is against the law in Michigan. Taxpayers deserve to know who is investigating the Detroit Office of Inspector General findings that an abuse of power took place – and what conflicts the investigators have due to personal and professional relationships with the people named in the OIG report,” said Tori Sachs, executive director of Michigan Rising Action. “The attempted cover-up in Detroit is troubling and Michiganders deserve to know the investigation will not be compromised by the relationship between Nessel and Benson.”