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If @SenMikeShirkey and @LeeChatfield really did reject Trump's attempt to overturn the election, we will see them quickly disavow the president's statement here and say they recognize Joe Biden as president-elect.
If you would like to know why I am cynical about a vague press release from Michigan Republicans last night (as are many Michigan reporters), here is a brief thread of some of their actions while running the Legislature. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/11/09/michigan-gop-legislative-leadership-still-silent-on-biden-win/
Within a few days of the election, the GOP Legislature quickly convened a special committee to look into unproven voter fraud. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/11/06/breaking-gop-leaders-warn-michigan-election-director-of-imminent-subpoenas/
The committee was held on a Saturday, which almost never happens. As the AP and other media outlets declared Biden president-elect on Nov. 7, they voted to subpoena the Bureau of Elections in a fishing expedition. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/11/07/mich-gop-lawmakers-vote-to-issue-subpoenas-launch-election-probe-right-before-2020-race-called-for-biden/
The special committee held a hearing the day before Shirkey, Chatfield and other GOP lawmakers jumped on planes to meet with Trump. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/11/19/gop-holds-another-election-hearing-benson-says-office-on-track-to-complete-audit/
I'd like to take a break to note that there's been no special Saturday hearing on Republicans lawmakers' plan to fight #COVID19, which has sickened about 300K and killed almost 8,400 in Michigan. Priorities. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/11/07/susan-j-demas-gop-leaders-havent-tackled-covid-19-or-racism-at-the-capitol-but-theyre-holding-a-sham-election-hearing-saturday/
Republicans, by the way, successfully sued Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over her emergency COVID orders thanks to a ruling from the GOP-majority Supreme Court. But they still won't pass a mask mandate or any mitigation efforts. It's been eight months. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/10/02/whitmer-says-many-covid-19-orders-will-remain-using-other-options-despite-supreme-court-ruling/
Cases have spiked since that October ruling, as have hospitalizations in recent weeks. Now we're starting to see deaths rising. We could be on track for 1,000 deaths a week next month, especially with Thanksgiving travel, per the state model. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/11/16/whitmer-michigan-could-see-1000-covid-19-deaths-a-day-without-action/
What does Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey have to say about all this? Well, last month, he went all Scott Atlas, and talked about needing a little "herd immunity." Doctors and public health experts weren't having it. https://www.michiganadvance.com/blog/public-health-experts-call-out-shirkeys-comments-on-herd-immunity/
So should we buy that Republicans were just chatting with Trump about COVID aid, even though Trump tweeted out this morning that reporting (which stressed that) was wrong? Well, they haven't backed fed aid in the past and didn't sign on to Whitmer's letter https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/11/19/gop-leaders-head-to-d-c-for-post-election-meeting-with-trump-decline-to-ask-feds-for-covid-19-help/
There's also been a terrible problem with right-wing extremist violence in recent years and Whitmer has been the most high-profile target, as federal and state agents uncovered a plot to assassinate her in a televised show trial. https://www.michiganadvance.com/blog/anti-whitmer-terrorist-plot-included-weeklong-series-of-televised-executions-of-public-officials/
The plot was in response to Whitmer's COVID orders. When it was announced, Shirkey and Chatfield issued statements condemning violence. Then what did they do a few hours later? They attended another anti-Whitmer rally held at the Capitol. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/10/08/republican-leaders-join-anti-whitmer-rally-outside-capitol-after-fbi-reports-murder-plot-against-her/
That came after Shirkey and Chatfield refused to condemn the confederate flag-waving, automatic-rifle toting extremists who repeatedly protested at the Capitol in the spring and summer. Some of the terrorists plotted there. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/05/01/susan-j-demas-protestors-threatened-whitmers-murder-gop-leaders-havent-condemned-them/
Shirkey attended a rally with some of the plotters. He's also called Whitmer a dictator, just like those arrested did. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/10/20/black-lawmakers-warned-of-extremism-and-white-supremacism-at-the-capitol-for-months-leaders-didnt-take-action/
None of this extremism is unique to COVID or the election. Right after Whitmer and other Democrats were elected statewide in 2018, the GOP Legislature in lame duck started introducing legislation to yank their power. https://www.michiganadvance.com/blog/conservatives-tell-snyder-to-veto-power-grab-bills/
I'll also note that Republicans have repeatedly used sexist language to show how little respect they have for the Democratic governor, as well. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2019/11/21/shirkey-calls-whitmer-and-michigan-dems-batshit-crazy-govs-office-calls-comments-sexist-and-partisan/
There's been a long history of GOP power grabs in Michigan and across the country, so overturning an election is pretty much the logical endpoint. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2019/11/12/michigan-republicans-want-to-quash-whitmers-power-heres-a-roundup-of-gop-power-grabs-in-other-states/
So color me jaded that Michigan GOP lawmakers â who did not rule out taking further post-election action even in a press release people are putting enormous faith in â are acting in good faith as they apparently went from the White House to a celebratory time at the Trump hotel.
I am not a lawyer, but several have pointed out the myriad ways that this little White House jaunt could land Republicans on the wrong side of a criminal investigation. But by taking the meeting, that's a risk they're apparently willing to take. https://www.michiganadvance.com/2020/11/20/whitmer-warns-about-serious-legal-and-ethical-questions-of-gop-leaders-white-house-trip/
For the good of our country and for democracy writ large, I would like nothing more than for my skepticism to be proven wrong here.
