Tensions ran high after the two Republicans sitting on Michigan’s Wayne County Board of Canvassers threatened to block certification in the state’s most populous county, a move that could effectively have disenfranchised nearly half of the state’s Black population.
Monica Palmer, one of the two GOP members who later backed out of that gambit (the other was William Hartmann), reported receiving graphic death threats against her and her daughter, one of which she told the state board included photos of naked, dead women.
The next day, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) confirmed that she is looking into threats made against Wayne County Board members—and apparently, not only Palmer.
“We will investigate any credible complaints of threats to government officials, elected or appointed, and will prosecute criminal conduct to the fullest extent of the law,” Nessel wrote in a statement. “Serving the people – regardless of party – is an honorable but sometimes difficult and thankless task. And while many of us have been subjected to hateful and often obscene insults, threats of violence and harm will not be tolerated.”
The brief press release announced an investigation into threats against Wayne County “canvassers,” plural.
It is unclear what other members reported death threats, and Nessel’s office did not immediately respond to Law&Crime’s voicemail seeking to clarify the scope of the probe by press time.
[Image via Bill Pugliano/Getty Images]
Follow Law&Crime:
