December 21, 2021
2021: Aside from the Immature Antics, Dana Nessel is a Failed Attorney General
In 2021, Attorney General Dana Nessel showed her true colors to the people of Michigan. Nessel has made fun of sexual abuse survivors and had to be carted out of Spartan Stadium during the Michigan/Michigan State game after consuming too much alcohol. While those show a lack of professionalism unbecoming of her office, Nessel’s 2021 will also be remembered for her actions and inactions that have failed the people of Michigan.
Nessel has Turned the Flint Investigation Into Political is in Shambles,
Dana Nessel has turned the Flint water investigation into a highly politicized trainwreck. Despite the massive price tag, the case has been grossly mismanaged. One may think that a legal team that has cost taxpayers nearly $2M would be the best money could buy. Many are shocked to learn that the prosecution has been plagued by errors and has had no results to this point. The answer of how this team could be so incompetent becomes much clearer after looking at the Attorney General’s campaign finance report.
In 2018, then-candidate Dana Nessel attacked the former AG’s Flint investigation for farming out his legal team. Fast-forward to 2021, where Nessel has now farmed out her legal team for her hyper-politicized Flint investigation. More disturbing than Nessel’s hypocrisy is that the legal team she assembled is composed almost exclusively of her campaign donors, turning the investigation into a pay-to-play racket.
Ignoring Benton Harbor Water Crisis to Protect Political Allies
As Nessel’s investigation into Flint falls apart, she declines to investigate the Benton Harbor water crisis. By letting her political ally Gretchen Whitmer off the hook in Benton Harbor, Nessel is derelict in her duties as Attorney General and is setting a dangerous, politically charged double standard for how she prosecuted Republicans and Democrats.
Benton Harbor is not the only instance where Dana Nessel refused to do her job to protect Gov. Whitmer. In July, as calls from Michiganders grew louder for the AG to investigate Gretchen Whitmer’s deadly nursing home policy to find the actual death toll, Nessel announced she would not investigate it. With some reports indicating the death toll count be as much as 100% higher, Nessel’s inaction is egregious. The inaction by Michigan’s Attorney General is infuriating for families who lost loved ones due to the Governor’s policy. By blocking the investigation into the matter, Nessel stops thousands from getting closure. Unless the AG does the right thing and looks into the Governor’s wrongdoings, we may never know how many lost their lives in Michigan nursing homes.
Many will remember her childish blunders, but the year 2021 for Dana Nessel will be defined by her hypocrisy, off-the-rails investigations, and refusal to investigate political allies. In 2022, Michigan Rising Action looks forward to continuing our work to hold Dana Nessel accountable for her overwhelming incompetence.
“In 2021, Dana Nessel made a complete mockery of the office of the Attorney General,” said Eric Ventimiglia, Executive Director for Michigan Rising Action. Ventimiglia continued, “For the sake of the people of Benton Harbor and those who lost loved ones in nursing homes, we genuinely hope Nessel cleans up her act and does her job in 2022.”