A Michigan prosecutor suggested that Governor Gretchen Whitmer could face criminal charges for handling asylum deaths in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, when the state attorney general launched an investigation into the deaths.
The news comes as Republicans in the Michigan legislature say they will hold hearings on a $ 155,000 confidential separation agreement made by former Health Department director Robert Gordon amid accusations that it may be a “secret payment” .
Macomb County prosecutor Peter Lucido said he was unable to obtain information on deaths in nursing homes and long-term care facilities because of strict laws that protect patients’ health information.
“If we discover that there was an intentional neglect of the position, if we discover that there was an imprudent danger to a person’s life by bringing him in, then we would proceed with the charges against the governor. Of course, we would. Nobody is above the law in this state, ”Lucido told ABC 7 WXYZ on Monday.
The questions surrounding Whitmer about deaths in nursing homes are similar to the scandal surrounding New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who, even before his growing sexual harassment scandal, caused him to resign or impeachment .
The governor in trouble is also pursued on charges by five women that he sexually harassed them, improperly touching or kissing them, and making inappropriate comments for them.
Whitmer, in an interview with CNN on Sunday, said he supports an independent investigation into his fellow Democratic governor.
“I think the complaints here are very serious and need to be taken seriously. And I really think that an impartial, complete and independent investigation is deserved and appropriate, “she said of the” State of the Union “.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel will examine state policies for nursing homes against the coronavirus, according to ClickonDetroit.com.
Whitmer’s office criticized Lucido in a statement to WXYZ, calling his comments “shameful political attacks based on no fact or reality”.
The statement also said that Lucido’s Republican colleagues confirmed that “they saw no evidence or testimony that says a nursing home was forced to receive someone against their will”.
His office said the state “prioritized testing” of nursing home staff and residents “to save lives”.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, the state acted quickly to create a network of regional centers with adequate isolation units and PPE to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within a facility. In addition, we offer 100 percent of nursing home residents priority access to the vaccine. Both the former head of AARP, as well as an independent study by UM, praised our work to save lives in nursing homes, ”said the statement.
Michigan Household Supervisory Board Chairman Steve Johnson, a Republican, said he wants answers from Whitmer about deaths in the nursing home and payment to the former health director.
“We invited the department to testify before our oversight committee. They refused. We asked them to share data on deaths in nursing homes with us. They refuse that. And now we see that the governor paid former health department director Robert Gordon $ 155,000 to be quiet, which begs the question: what are they trying to hide, ”he told Fox News.
He said Michigan was among the states that “forced COVID patients” to go to nursing homes, “just like what you saw in New York, Governor Cuomo.”
“It happened here, and they gave the numbers in New York and in deaths in nursing homes, and that’s the point here, they are hiding the numbers,” said Johnson.
Whitmer denied that Gordon, who resigned in January, received a payment to be quiet.
“I am really irritated by this characterization. It is the nature of a separation agreement, when someone in a leadership position leaves … that there are terms for that and you cannot share all terms. This is simply what it is, ”Whitmer told reporters at a news conference earlier this month, the Detroit Free Press reported.
But she declined to explain why Gordon resigned or why taxpayer money was used for a confidentiality agreement that remains confidential.
Johnson said he had the same questions.
“This is not something common, it is not something that we have seen here in the state government. If it’s so common, then why haven’t they been open to the public about it, ”he said.
Whitmer’s office did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment on nursing homes and payment for separation.