Dana's Dispatch: Prosecuting Domestic Terrorism, Advocating for Animal Rights, Unearthing Election Fraud & More!

--------------------------------------------------------------- GOP AG Challenger Matt DePerno Wants to Criminalize Abortion & Birth Control in Michigan My opponent Matt DePerno makes no secret of his extreme "no exceptions" stance on abortion — not even to save the life of the mother. Still got questions? Hear the truth about Matt DePerno and all his dangerous opinions from his own lips by visiting []( [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Youtube (August 10, 2022) GOP AG Challenger Matt DePerno Wants to Criminalize Abortion & Birth Control in Michigan Retrieved from: [GOP AG Challenger Matt DePerno Wants to Criminalize Abortion & Birth Control in Michigan]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel advocates for animals at Ann Arbor shelter In Michigan, we require oversight to make certain that animals involved in research are treated humanely, but it's not enough. With Teddy's Law, we could ensure that any animals to suffer cruel experimentation, especially those rescued from out-of-state, can still be adopted. Beagles rescued from a research breeding facility were visited by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel at the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) on Tuesday. Nessel, who has advocated for the protection of animals used in research, was joined by Senator Dayna Polehanki (D) and State Representative Matt Koleszar (D). The beagles at HSHV came from a group of 4,000 dogs that were pulled from an Envigo research facility in Cumberland, Virginia after the company was cited for violating several animal wellness regulations. Nessel issued an opinion in May calling for increased oversight of organizations and companies that “keep or use animals for experimental purposes.” The opinion calls on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to establish “standards” of humane conduct and to only register entities that meet the “standards.” While federal law protects animals in laboratories, it doesn’t protect animals when they are no longer needed by facilities, HSHV officials said. The Ann Arbor organization advocates for Teddy’s Law, a legal policy that would require dogs and cats used in research settings to be put up for adoption after experiments instead of being euthanized. The bipartisan legislation is currently in Michigan’s Regulator Reform Committee. [READ MORE]( Sarah Parlette, Click on Detroit (August 11, 2022) Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel advocates for animals at Ann Arbor shelter Retrieved from: [Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel advocates for animals at Ann Arbor shelter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- GOP AG Challenger Calls Himself the ‘#1 Most Dangerous Threat to Democracy’ Political analyst Matthew Dowd called my opponent Matt DePerno the #5 most dangerous threat to democracy running this election. DePerno disagrees, stating he “should be #1.” DePerno would be displacing notorious election deniers Kari Lake, Mark Finchem, Doug Mastriano, and Jim Marchant for that coveted #1 spot. [READ MORE]( Dana Nessel, Dana Nessel on Facebook (August 12, 2022) GOP AG Challenger Calls Himself the ‘#1 Most Dangerous Threat to Democracy’ Retrieved from: [GOP AG Challenger Calls Himself the ‘#1 Most Dangerous Threat to Democracy’]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Former Sterling Heights City Council candidate charged with election fraud These charges prove MI’s signature matching standards & other election security measures catch instances of wrongdoing, prompt thorough investigations & result in appropriate action. I appreciate our ongoing partnership with the BOE to root out attempts to undermine our elections. The Michigan Attorney General's office has charged an unsuccessful Sterling Heights City Council candidate with multiple felonies related to ballot forgeries in November 2021. According to a news release Tuesday from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, 27-year-old Paul Manni of Sterling Heights is charged with nine counts of forging a signature on an absentee voter ballot application, a five-year felony, and nine counts of making a false statement on an absentee voter ballot application, a 90-day misdemeanor. A Sterling Heights City Clerk first noticed the alleged fraud and reported it to the Bureau of Elections, which investigated and referred the case to the attorney general. Prior to the 2021 election, the Sterling Heights City Clerk investigated an incident where Manni delivered approximately 50 absentee voting applications with his own signature. The City Clerk's office was able to contact nine of the voters indicated in the applications, who each indicated they did not want to apply for an absentee ballot. According to the Attorney General's office, no ballots were sent to voters as a result of Manni's applications. [READ MORE]( Eve Sampson, Detroit Free Press (August 9, 2022) Former Sterling Heights City Council candidate charged with election fraud Retrieved from: [Former Sterling Heights City Council candidate charged with election fraud]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Judge grants motions filed against Wolverine Watchmen accused of terrorism plot We must send a clear message that those who seek to do violence against our institutions of democracy and our elected representatives are not patriots, they are criminals. My office is pleased to see this case move forward so we can hold these men accountable for their actions. Photo courtesy of Jackson County Sheriff's Office, WWMT A Michigan judge has granted motions filed against three members of the Wolverine Watchmen who were allegedly part of a plot to storm the Lansing Capitol building and kidnap elected officials, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Wednesday. The Wolverine Watchmen is a group in Michigan that has been accused of promoting political violence. Joseph Morrison, Paul Bellar and Pete Musico appeared in court for a motion hearing before Judge Thomas Wilson of the fourth Circuit Court in Jackson County. All three men have been charged with gang membership, providing material support for terrorist acts and carrying or possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony. Morrison, Bellar and Musico are three of seven individuals who were arrested in October 2020 on terrorism charges. Suspects are alleged to have called on the groups' members to identify the home addresses of law enforcement officers to target them; made threats of violence to instigate a civil war leading to societal collapse; and planning and training for an operation to attack the Lansing Capitol building and kidnap officials, including Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The Antrim County defendants, Brian Higgins, Michael Null, William Null, Eric Molitor and Shawn Fix, in the related Antrim County case are scheduled to appear for a preliminary examination in Traverse City, from August 29 to September 1, the AG's office said. The trial for Morrison, Bellar and Musico is scheduled to begin on October 3, the AG's office said. [READ MORE]( Brandon Chew, WWMT (August 10, 2022) Judge grants motions filed against Wolverine Watchmen accused of terrorism plot Retrieved from: [Judge grants motions filed against Wolverine Watchmen accused of terrorism plot]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Michiganders Support Jan.6 Hearings, Oppose Election Deniers: Poll Michiganders are in agreement: they will not throw their support behind candidates who knowingly push false claims about the 2020 election or supported the Jan. 6 insurrection. For more information on the dangerous election denier running for AG, visit []( A new poll released Thursday shows Michiganders are less likely to vote for a candidate supporting former President Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him and those who oppose Congress' work investigating the Capitol Riot. Defend Democracy Project's poll showed that 82 percent of Michiganders know about the work of the bipartisan Capitol Riot special congressional committee, which is investigating and holding hearings into Trump's role in the violent Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The Public Policy poll showed 57 percent of Michiganders support the investigation and another 66 percent believe the investigation is important to protect their right to vote. In addition, nearly half, 49 percent, believe members of the Republican Party also contributed to the Capitol Riot along with Trump. Independent voters also showed similar findings, in that 46 percent believe Trump loyalists in the Republican Party were part of the problem, as opposed to just Trump himself. Only 8 percent of those voters believe Trump was solely responsible for the attack, according to the poll. Overall, 52 percent believe Trump and his loyalists contributed to the Capitol Riot and should be criminally prosecuted. Additionally, 52 percent said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who downplayed the events of the Capitol Riot and opposed the House of Representatives' work in investigating it. [READ MORE]( Dylan Siwicki, Patch (August 11, 2022) Michiganders Support Jan.6 Hearings, Oppose Election Deniers: Poll Retrieved from: [Michiganders Support Jan.6 Hearings, Oppose Election Deniers: Poll]( --------------------------------------------------------------- White supremacy group member sentenced on civil disorder conspiracy My department will hold accountable any individual that commits crimes as part of a domestic terrorist organization. Make no mistake, these are violent groups intent on harming others and their actions will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. A member of a national white supremacist group that advocates for violence against the government has been sentenced to probation and court supervision for assessing abandoned jail facilities as potential paramilitary firearms training areas. Tuscola County Circuit Court Judge Amy Gierhardt sentenced Tristan Webb, 19, on Wednesday to five years of probation for guilty pleas to being a member of a gang, conspiracy to train with firearms for civil disorder and a felony firearms enhancement. The other men, Justen Watkins and Thomas Denton, were sentenced to time in prison for conspiracy to train with firearms for civil disorder and a felony firearm enhancement. Watkins, the self-proclaimed leader of The Base, is serving at least four years and eight months in prison for those charges and was sentenced to more than six years in prison for gang membership in Washtenaw County. The Base, a literal English translation of "Al-Qaeda," is a white supremacy group that advocates for violence and criminal acts against the country and says they are training for a race war to establish white ethnonationalist rule in parts of the country, including the Upper Peninsula. Webb became involved with The Base at 17. He hosted a "hate camp" for The Base at his property where they underwent firearms tactical training and learned various paramilitary-style techniques, according to a press release from Nessel's office. The convictions against Webb and other members of The Base for conspiring to train for a civil disorder mark the first in state history, according to Nessel's office. The charges came as a part of a crackdown on extremism in Michigan in the weeks after the FBI said it thwarted a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. [READ MORE]( Kara Berg, The Detroit News (August 12, 2022) White supremacy group member sentenced on civil disorder conspiracy Retrieved from: [White supremacy group member sentenced on civil disorder conspiracy]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you for being a part of Dana's re-election campaign! Sending emails is a crucial way to keep supporters like you updated on Dana's fight for justice and progress. 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