On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee authorized State Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Township) to subpoena the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Elizabeth Hertel, and Attorney General Dana Nessel. The Oversight Committee’s vote to authorize subpoenas on some of Michigan’s highest public officials clears the path for what will be the most extensive use of the Legislature’s subpoena power in Michigan history.

“House leadership agreed to seek these subpoenas because we take our commitment to making our state government more transparent and accountable seriously,” DeBoyer, who chairs the Oversight Committee, said. “We are tired of seeing government actors with no regard for the public face zero accountability. That is not how representative government ought to work, and it ought to stop. If it wasn’t clear before that we are not messing around, it should be now.”

The subpoenas on the DNR, MDHHS Director Hertel, and Attorney General Nessel were authorized for a variety of reasons, all relating to alarming allegations of government misconduct. DeBoyer pointed to Nessel’s case as particularly concerning. The subpoenas on the Attorney General relate to potential criminal activity by a top Democrat official and an organization with ties to a member of Nessel’s family. Both cases appear to have been buried and never properly investigated.

The Secretary of State sent a criminal referral to the Attorney General’s office with allegations that an organization called Bipartisan Solutions used a fraudulent dark money scheme to fund a ballot initiative co-chaired by a close member of Nessel’s family. Despite refusing to investigate this potential crime, Nessel is currently seeking criminal penalties against a Republican Party-associated political fundraiser for nearly identical charges.

“The people of Michigan are understandably wary of politicians using the powers of government to punish their political opponents and get their friends off the hook,” DeBoyer said. “There’s a lot we have yet to learn about Dana Nessel’s decisions, but that is exactly why we are seeking a subpoena on her office. This investigation will allow us to uncover the truth and learn about any potential misconduct. Regardless of what occurred, we need to be absolutely certain that our state’s highest-ranking law enforcement official is not helping her friends and family evade the law. If the Attorney General has nothing to hide, she should welcome transparency into her house.”