Governor Whitmer’s Recall Campaign Donation Scheme Revealed
Many of us were wondering what Gov. Whitmer was going to do with the millions of what many believe are illegal contributions to her campaign. Last August I wrote a piece detailing what was actually going on.
Whitmer reported that she raised $8.6 million from Jan. 1 to July 20 of 2021. Sounds impressive until you learn that approximately 44%, or $3.8 million, of the cash she hauled in from her donors, came from very wealthy people who gave her quite a bit more than Michigan's $7,150 contribution limit. You would think it is illegal to give a politician more than the state determined limit. You would be wrong if you go by an obscure 1983 ruling from former Democrat Michigan secretary of state Richard Austin.
Back in 1983, he ruled that any Michigan official who is under an “official” recall can accept donations beyond the legal limit. Whether she is really under an “official” recall is extremely questionable. Have you heard of any serious effort, have you signed any petitions?
This will probably shock you but Democrat Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson ruled last December that “Whitmer did not violate campaign finance laws when she accepted contributions above the state's fundraising limit because she was facing recall efforts”.
Whitmer collected $750,000 from just 3 people alone. Former Michigander Patricia Stryker, oil executive Stacy Schusterman, and Democrat Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker. All three of them are billionaires and none of them live in Michigan and all gave Whitmer a quarter of a million dollars.
Former Michigan Democratic Party chair Mark Brewer told Bridge Michigan that Whitmer may actually have to return all of those excess contributions meant to fight the recall "if there's ultimately no recall election…This is not money that she's going to be able to use next year in the general election”.
Well there is no recall and she is not giving the money back, did you ever think she would?
The Detroit News is reporting that the Secretary of State's, Jocelyn Benson, said if there were no new recalls filed against Whitmer by Jan. 1, 2022, “any possible recall effort would necessarily be considered concluded and she would have to distribute the excess funds she raised”. Her office made that statement because under Michigan law, “no recalls can be filed against a governor in their last year of a term in office”.
What is Whitmer's campaign to do with all of this free cash she was given? We are informed that she could:
- give the, over the limit, donations to a political party committee (I wonder which Party that would be?)
- donate the cash to a charitable organization
- refund the donations back to their rightful owners that being the contributors
What do you think she did? Do you think she gave the cashback to their rightful owners?
Sure she did!
According to her filing Monday she gave, wait for it, wait for it………….$3.5 million to the Michigan Democratic Party and did return $250,000 back to one of its rightful owners, attorney Mark Bernstein.
Why was he the only one Whitmer gave the cashback to?
Wait, is that the same attorney whose brother is currently a Democrat Michigan Supreme Court Justice?
The executive director of the Michigan Freedom Fund, Tori Sachs, said Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson have allowed Governor Whitmer to get away with "the largest illicit campaign cash grab in Michigan history."
Tori went on to say:
This corrupt laundering scheme proves that while Benson and Nessel are on duty, the law doesn’t matter and there are no consequences for Gretchen Whitmer and her allies
Whatever happened to the former Michigan Democratic Party chair Mark Brewer’s comment that Whitmer may actually have to return all of those excess contributions meant to fight the recall "if there's ultimately no recall election…This is not money that she's going to be able to use next year in the general election”.
As she has just revealed the scheme Mark she personally will not spend it on her behalf but the Michigan Democratic Party will certainly spend it on her behalf. Another politician breaking the law or at best getting really dirty in it.
Ask yourself what will stop the next Governor, Democrat or Republican, from not performing the same, as AC/DC would call it "Dirty Deed"? All they have to do is get a group of people to start a recall against you and the dump trucks full of cash can start backing up to the waste dump of their campaigns.