Dana's Dispatch: Prosecuting Domestic Terrorism, Securing Reproductive Freedom, Promoting Consumer Protection & More!

--------------------------------------------------------------- With Domestic Terrorism on the Rise, Who Do You Want Keeping the Peace? On 1/6/21 my opponent Matt DePerno was in DC plotting to overturn our election & encouraging insurrection. He's uniquely UNQUALIFIED to be Michigan’s top cop. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (May 18, 2022) With Domestic Terrorism on the Rise, Who Do You Want Keeping the Peace? Retrieved from: [With Domestic Terrorism on the Rise, Who Do You Want Keeping the Peace?]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Attorney General Dana Nessel Speaks at Grand Rapids #BansOffOurBodies Rally I told Grand Rapids at the #BansOffOurBodies rally this weekend: Michiganders must vote for pro-choice candidates this fall and support the Reproductive Freedom for All ballot proposal. The future of reproductive healthcare is on the line. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (May 16, 2022) Attorney General Dana Nessel Speaks at Grand Rapids #BansOffOurBodies Rally Retrieved from: [Attorney General Dana Nessel Speaks at Grand Rapids #BansOffOurBodies Rally]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AG Nessel’s Robocall Task Force Sees Significant Decrease in Robocall Frequency Scams targeting Michigan seniors are on the rise, but my office is working hard to prevent bad actors from taking advantage of residents like Patricia (below). Visit [( to report a scammer, and to learn more about your connection to consumer protection. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (May 21, 2022) AG Nessel’s Robocall Task Force Sees Significant Decrease in Robocall Frequency Retrieved from: [AG Nessel’s Robocall Task Force Sees Significant Decrease in Robocall Frequency]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Abortion fight thrusts state attorney general races into the forefront My opponent has promised time and time again that he will enforce Michigan's archaic abortion ban with NO EXCEPTIONS. I have promised to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of Michiganders instead. Who would you prefer to have as attorney general? The Supreme Court appears poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, a decision that would end legal abortion in nearly two dozen states and hand more power to state attorneys general — a shift that has thrust those down-ballot contests into the limelight. Republican attorney general candidates in battleground states like Wisconsin and Michigan, where Democratic incumbents have vowed not to enforce decades- and centuries-old pre-Roe bans, have laid out how they would enforce them. The opposite is also true in battlegrounds like Georgia and Arizona, where Democratic challengers are telling voters how they could legally justify not enforcing bans on the books. In Michigan, a 1931 abortion ban that calls for up to four years of prison time for doctors who perform abortions — and possibly women who take medication to induce an abortion — would again take effect if Roe is overturned. The law would ban all abortions except when they are conducted to save the woman’s life. It includes no exceptions for rape or incest. Dana Nessel, the Democratic attorney general, has vowed she wouldn’t enforce it if Roe is struck down. “I have said from the beginning that I would not enforce the law. It violates a constitutional right we have had for the last 50 years,” Nessel said in an interview. Nessel’s opponent, Republican Matthew DePerno — whom state Republicans have endorsed as their nominee — has said in interviews and on Twitter that he would enforce the state’s ban. DePerno declined to answer questions. [READ MORE]( Adam Edelman, NBC News (May 16, 2022) Abortion fight thrusts state attorney general races into the forefront Retrieved from: [Abortion fight thrusts state attorney general races into the forefront]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Senior Trump official at State met with election denial activists Jan. 6 This is who the Republican Party is now and it speaks volumes as to why Trump so heavily backs Matt DePerno’s candidacy for Michigan Attorney General. Michigan voters have a clear choice this November: Vote for AG Dana Nessel to defend our democracy, or for Matt DePerno to destroy it. On Jan. 6, 2021, around the time that thousands of Donald Trump’s supporters swarmed the U.S. Capitol, a top Trump appointee at the U.S. State Department met with two activists who had been key to spreading the false narrative that the presidential election had been stolen. Robert A. Destro, a law professor at Catholic University of America then serving as an assistant secretary of state, confirmed to The Washington Post he met with the two men — Colorado podcaster Joe Oltmann and Michigan lawyer Matthew DePerno — in the midst of the tumultuous day. How Oltmann and DePerno reached Destro is not clear. But the path the two men took to the inner sanctum of the State Department provides insight into how Trump’s desperate desire for evidence to prop up his false claims helped elevate previously unknown characters into national prominence when they asserted evidence of a stolen election. A Kalamazoo-area attorney, DePerno had run once unsuccessfully for local office when he filed a lawsuit in November 2020 that argued a quickly corrected election night tabulation error in Michigan’s Antrim County provided evidence of a vast conspiracy to hack voting machines made by the company Dominion Voting Systems. In December 2020, a judge agreed to give DePerno’s team access to voting machines for review. They produced a report that argued the machines showed signs of manipulation. Experts quickly denounced the report as riddled with errors — a finding later confirmed by a Republican-led state legislative committee in Michigan, and DePerno’s lawsuit was dismissed. But as Jan. 6 approached, Trump, his attorney Rudy Giuliani and others used the document to argue the election was rigged. [READ MORE]( Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post (May 17, 2022) Senior Trump official at State met with election denial activists Jan. 6 Retrieved from: [Senior Trump official at State met with election denial activists Jan. 6]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Judge stops enforcement of Michigan's abortion ban if Roe overturned; Nessel won't appeal This injunction is a victory for the millions of Michigan women fighting for their right to bodily integrity and personal freedom. I have no plans to appeal and will continue to act in the best interest of the health, safety, and welfare of the people of Michigan. Photo courtesy of Max Ortiz, The Detroit News A Michigan Court of Claims judge on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction to Planned Parenthood of Michigan that would stall the enforcement of Michigan's 1931 abortion ban should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the landmark 1973 Roe decision enshrining abortion as a constitutional right. The decision is expected to prompt a swift legal challenge from anti-abortion groups, but the suit's main defendant has said she won't appeal. The ruling applies only to the now dormant 1931 law and not to the abortion regulations passed since then, Court of Claims Judge Elizabeth Gleicher noted in her opinion. Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel said she won't appeal Gleicher's order. Nessel, the named defendant in the case, said the ruling against her office is a "victory for the millions of Michigan women fighting for their rights." Opponents raised a legitimate question about whether the case is ripe before Roe is overturned, said Barbara McQuade, a University of Michigan law professor and former Detroit U.S. attorney during the Obama administration. But it is reasonable to argue the law should be reviewed now because abortion decisions are extremely time-sensitive. Gleicher granted the preliminary injunction in an order that concluded Planned Parenthood was likely to succeed on arguments that "forced pregnancy" is a threat to a woman's constitutional right to bodily integrity and due process. [READ MORE]( Beth LeBlanc & Carol Thompson, The Detroit News (May 17, 2022) Judge stops enforcement of Michigan's abortion ban if Roe overturned; Nessel won't appeal Retrieved from: [Judge stops enforcement of Michigan's abortion ban if Roe overturned; Nessel won't appeal]( --------------------------------------------------------------- White Supremacist Group Member Tristan Webb Is 4th Convicted In Michigan While my opponent has been busy fomenting domestic terrorism and supporting those who traffic in hate, I’ve been prosecuting hate crimes and domestic terrorism. #HateWontWin #NoHateInMyState A young Michigan man accused of being in a white supremacist group has pleaded no contest to conspiracy and other crimes that included assessing whether vacant state properties could be used for paramilitary training, authorities said Tuesday. Four members of a group called The Base have been convicted in Tuscola or Washtenaw counties since charges were filed in 2020, the attorney general’s office said. The Base is a group that has pushed a fringe philosophy advocating mass violence to hasten society’s collapse. Tristan Webb pleaded no contest Monday to gang membership, conspiracy to train for civil disorder and a gun charge. Investigators said he and two others, Justen Watkins and Thomas Denton, entered two vacant Corrections Department properties in Caro in 2020 to assess whether they could be used as “hate camps.” Watkins in April pleaded guilty to conspiracy and a gun charge. Separately, he pleaded guilty to gang membership in Washtenaw County for a different incident in 2019. Denton was sentenced to at least two years in prison for conspiracy and a gun charge. A fourth man, Alfred Gorman, was sentenced in February to probation for gang membership. [READ MORE]( AP, CBS Detroit (May 17, 2022) White Supremacist Group Member Tristan Webb Is 4th Convicted In Michigan Retrieved from: [White Supremacist Group Member Tristan Webb Is 4th Convicted In Michigan]( --------------------------------------------------------------- The 3 scams targeting seniors in Michigan that you should look out for My Elder Abuse Task Force is committed to preventing bad actors from taking advantage of Michigan's older adults. That's why we're reissuing a warning against these common scams. Be aware of their tactics, and report any suspicious dealings to my department. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is issuing a warning about common scams that are targeting seniors in the area. According to the AG's office, 73,000 older adults in Michigan are victims of elder abuse, neglect or economic exploitation. Lorrie Abell Patch of Clinton Township almost fell for the Grandparent Scam. “I said, 'Hi, Jacob, how you doing?' He says, 'Oh, Grandma, not good.' And I said, 'Jacob, what's the matter?' He says, 'Grandma, I'm in trouble. I need money,'" she told us. "And at that point, my mind went, why isn't he calling his dad? You know. So, then I thought for a second, and I said, 'Jacob, tell me your middle name,’ and then -- click-- hung up.” The grandparent scam is one of the most popular scams targeting Michigan seniors, according to Nessel. She said that scam is often coupled with the Caller ID Spoofing Scam, where bad actors deliberately falsify the information sent to your caller ID to pose as a legitimate business or a trusted source. Also, if you get a smishing text from a trusted source with a link, don't click the link! That's the Fake Technology Scam. That malware allows the scammer to get into your device, access critical passwords, even snag your banking information. If someone is urgently asking for money, being paid in an unusual way, banking information, or your social security number, hang up. Look up the number yourself, and call to see what's real and what's fake. [READ MORE]( Alicia Smith, WXYZ (May 19, 2022) The 3 scams targeting seniors in Michigan that you should look out for Retrieved from: [The 3 scams targeting seniors in Michigan that you should look out for]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Governor Whitmer passes legislation to fight opioid crisis Time is not on our side when it comes to Michigan’s opioid epidemic. This legislation provides a framework for the timely deployment of the state's historic $800M settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors, so the funds can be used to help our communities in need. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a package of legislation Thursday investing $800 million in treatment, prevention and mental health in response to the opioid crisis. Together, Senate Bills 993, 994, and 995 manage the disbursement of settlement funds as a result of opioid-related lawsuits and create the Opioid Advisory Commission to advance policy to prevent, treat, and support those with opioid use disorder. “I have spent the past couple of months visiting communities and organizations around Michigan to learn more about the work being done to prevent and treat Opioid Use Disorder, and while local governments will receive direct payments, the timely deployment of state settlement dollars is crucial in the fight against opioids in our communities,” Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “This puts us a step closer to getting the proper infrastructure in place to ensure settlement dollars can be used quickly and save as many lives as possible.” More information about the historic opioid settlements can be found through the Department of Attorney General’s website. Payments are expected to begin sometime this summer. The Department of Attorney General will release additional information when the payments begin. [READ MORE]( TV6 News Team, WLUC (May 19, 2022) Governor Whitmer passes legislation to fight opioid crisis Retrieved from: [Governor Whitmer passes legislation to fight opioid crisis]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Election deniers who say Trump won in 2020 are running to be top cop in 4 battleground states It’s not my job as the state’s top lawyer to pick winners in the presidential election. I don’t care if it’s a Democrat running, or Donald Trump. The job is to make sure the will of the people is heard and that the election is properly certified. Photo courtesy of Scott Olson, Getty Images In four crucial battleground states, Republican candidates who falsely contend that Donald Trump won the 2020 election are running for state attorney general. If they win, they’d serve as their states' top law enforcement officers and would have the power to use their office to tilt the outcome of presidential elections. If Trump should run again in 2024, and the outcome is close in a handful of states, the actions attorneys general are able to take could also give Trump cover to claim falsely claim victory once again. Michigan attorney Matthew DePerno — who state Republicans have already endorsed as their nominee in the attorney general race to take on Democratic incumbent Dana Nessel — has repeatedly espoused debunked conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election results in Michigan, winning him the endorsement of former President Donald Trump in his primary race. DePerno filed a suit alleging sweeping voter fraud in the state, citing a 2020 election night error in Antrim County that showed Joe Biden winning the reliably red county. The problem was quickly fixed. A state trial court judge and a state appeals court judge both dismissed the suit. DePerno has also argued that any Michigan resident should have the right to demand a vote audit of the state’s election results. Biden won Michigan by more than 154,000 votes, a result upheld by multiple lawsuits and audits. Nessel said in an interview that “it’s absolutely essential that you have both an attorney general and a secretary of state in these really essential swing states that believe in democracy and in following the law.” [READ MORE]( Adam Edelman, NBC News (May 22, 2022) Election deniers who say Trump won in 2020 are running to be top cop in 4 battleground states Retrieved from: [Election deniers who say Trump won in 2020 are running to be top cop in 4 battleground states]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for being a part of Dana's re-election campaign! 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