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Gov. Whitmer refuses to support Michigan’s attorney general in prosecuting anti-Israel protesters

Gov. Whitmer refuses to support Michigan’s attorney general in prosecuting anti-Israel protesters

Vaseline 1 month ago

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is refusing to support state Attorney General Dana Nessel, a fellow Democrat, who has been attacked by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) over Nessel’s decision to target anti-Israel campus protesters at the University of Michigan charges of assaulting police and engaging in ethnic intimidation, among other alleged crimes.

Tlaib has also suggested that Nessel is only suing protesters because she is Jewish. Nessel has publicly labeled the congressman’s characterization as anti-Semitic and wrong.

When asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper whether Whitmer agrees with Tlaib’s argument that Nessel is only suing protesters because she is Jewish, the Michigan governor declined to elaborate.

“I’m not going to get into the middle of the discussion that they’re having,” Whitmer said on CNN’s “State of the Union” show Sunday morning.

“All I can say is this: You know, we want to make sure students are safe on our campuses, and we recognize that everyone has the right to express their opinion on how they feel about an issue, the right to express themselves speak . And I’m going to do everything I can to make sure both are true.”

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, sharply criticized Whitmer for not speaking out more aggressively against anti-Semitism. “Governor Whitmer, when your attorney general prosecutes people for breaking the law, harassing Jews, and assaulting police officers, it is in the interest of public safety. When a member of Congress accuses the attorney general of prosecuting protesters simply because she is Jewish, that is partisan.” Greenblatt said on X.

“Saying that you want to ‘ensure students are safe on our campuses’ is just words if you are not willing to use your pulpit to speak out unequivocally about anti-Semitism and to hold people accountable for breaking the law when it is affects Jews.”

Whitmer spokesperson Stacey LaRouche later issued a follow-up statement more clearly defending Nessel, without specifically defending the Michigan attorney general’s prosecution of the anti-Israel protesters. The statement did not mention Tlaib.

“Governor Whitmer has been very clear in denouncing all anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, racist and sexist language targeting communities in our state. The hateful rhetoric and racist statements directed at people simply because of who they are and what faith they practice are unacceptable,” LaRouche said in a statement. “Attorney General Nessel has spent her career defending the rights of Michiganders to live freely and safely in our state. Her office has placed impartiality and fairness at the heart of every decision to equally uphold the rule of law.”

Earlier this month, Nessel charged nine anti-Israel protesters – and two counter-protesters – involved in incidents at the University of Michigan involving the school’s anti-Israel protest camp.

Nessel’s office charged seven protesters with assaulting or resisting police, a crime punishable by up to two years in prison. Two were charged with trespassing, which carried a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail. A university alumnus is also accused of disturbing the peace and attempted ethnic intimidation.

Nessel said she has filed misdemeanor charges against those who “physically placed their hands or bodies against police” or “physically obstructed an arrest.”

Tlaib publicly castigated Nessel for her decision to denounce the protesters Detroit Metro Times: “It appears that the attorney general decided that if the issue involved Palestine, she would handle it differently, and that alone speaks volumes about possible biases within the organization she leads.”

Tlaib continued: “This is a step that will set a precedent, and it’s unfortunate that a Democrat took that step. You would expect that from a Republican, but not from a Democrat, and that is a real shame.”

Nessel responded sharply to Tlaib on Friday, insinuating that the congresswoman has made anti-Semitic comments that the attorney general cannot do her job honestly. Her comments came in a tweet criticizing a Detroit News cartoon depicting Tlaib next to an exploding pager, which most Michigan Democrats have publicly condemned.

But Nessel took the opportunity in her public comments to speak out against both the cartoon and Tlaib’s behavior, which she labeled anti-Semitic.

Nessel first spoke out against Tlaib last November, after the congressman defended protesters’ use of the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as an ambitious call for freedom.

Nessel wrote to Tlaib at the time on But this is so painful for many. Please retract this cruel and hateful comment.”

Tlaib did not respond.

This story was updated with comment from Governor Whitmer’s office and the Anti-Defamation League on September 22 at 2 p.m.