The Michigan Republican Party President called the state’s top Democratic officials “witches” and joked about the murder of Republican Party members of Congress who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump. Ron Weiser made both comments to the camera during a meeting on Thursday with a local Republican club.
Weiser was responding to questions from the public at the North Oakland Republican Club about the ousting of US deputies Fred Upton and Peter Meijer, two Michigan Republicans who voted in favor of Trump’s second impeachment. Weiser told the crowd that the only way to change the leadership was to “go out and vote”, and said his first priorities were other races in Michigan.
“We are focused on the three witches,” said Weiser, adding that he was also working to win Republican majorities in the state’s House and Senate.
The “witches” comment refers to three female leaders who are all candidates for re-election in 2022: Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. All three are Democrats and have become targets of the Republican Party for their opposition to Trump and their attempts to reverse their defeat in Michigan.
Whitmer, in particular, was subjected to misogynistic criticism for his manipulation of COVID-19 restrictions. She was also allegedly the target of a failure kidnapping plot.
Some audience members declined Weiser’s response, demanding answers on how to deal with “witches in our own party”.
“Aside from the murder, I have no other choice but to vote, okay?” Weiser replied. “You need to go out there and support your opponents. You need to do what you need to get votes in those areas. That’s how you win people ”.
Weiser called women “witches” in a different part of his comments as well, saying that Republicans wanted to “soften these three witches and ensure that we have good candidates to run against them, that they are ready to be burned at the stake.”
Detroit News first reported the comments and posted a video of the event.
Weiser is a member of the University of Michigan board of directors and at least two members said he should resign because of the comments, according to the Detroit Free Press. Both rated their comment about women politicians as sexist.
“This language and behavior are incompatible with serving the University of Michigan,” Jordan Acker, a Democratic conducting member, wrote on Twitter. “Given that, the only appropriate answer, and the best thing for the University of Michigan, is Ron Weiser’s resignation.”
Whitmer’s press secretary Bobby Ledd cited recent death threats against elected officials in Michigan, while condemning Weiser’s comments.
“This kind of rhetoric is destructive and absolutely dangerous,” she said in a press release.
Nessel, the attorney general, responded with a tweet describing her, Whitmer and Benson with witch hats drawn on their heads over a Halloween background.
“Witches who magically slow Covid’s spread, increase voter turnout and hold sexual predators accountable without any help from the legislature?” she wrote. “Sign me up to that clan. Do it better, Michigan GOP.”
CBS News contacted Weiser and the Michigan Republican Party for comment. A Weiser spokesman told the Associated Press that Weiser’s remarks made it clear that he supports the primary process of choosing Republican nominees, but did not address the “witches” comment.