Even Democrats are distancing themselves from Whitmer’s hush-money payments because state taxpayer-funded severance shouldn’t be used to purchase silence from the person who shut down small businesses with his signature.
March 10, 2021
WATCH: Michigan Democrat State Rep. Calls Whitmer’s Hush Money Payments “Concerning”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s hush-money payments to former state officials have come under fire from Republicans across the state. Now, Democrat State Representative Laurie Pohutsky has called the payments “concerning” and says she looks forward to the oversight committee’s review of the payments. Pohutsky made the comments on March 7 during a Facebook live coffee hour.
Watch:
Pohutsky references two hush-money payments during the video – one to the former Unemployment Insurance Agency Director Steve Gray, who received $86,000, and the former Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon, who received $155,506 for his silence after resigning his post.
The Detroit News reported last night that several additional officials also received large severance payments for their silence. Jeff Mason, the CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), received $128,500 in severance pay for his silence and agreement to publicly state that his departure was due to retirement.
Whitmer then named her top political advisor Mark Burton to be the next MEDC CEO. Burton ran the controversial Build a Better Michigan group which was fined over two television ads that violated state campaign finance law before leading Whitmer’s transition team.
Whitmer’s hush money payments are piling up as the calls for investigations into her nursing home policy and data grow louder. Even Democrats are distancing themselves from Whitmer’s hush-money payments because state taxpayer-funded severance shouldn’t be used to purchase silence from the person who shut down small businesses with his signature. – Tori Sachs, executive director of Michigan Rising Action