Testimonials On Beverly Tran Featuring Michigan Attorney General & Gubernatorial Candidate Bill Schuette

What better way to let the public know about the quality and reliability of one's work than with testimonials!

Reporting and ameliorating fraud is not just a passion, it is my mission.

Besides, if Bill Schuette refuses to do his job as Attorney General, I guess I have to.

Testimonials

"Beverly Tran is a public nuisance."

Michigan Attorney General and Gubernatorial Candidate, Bill Schuette, November 29, 2017

"Beverly Tran is a conspiracy theorist."

Detroit Land Bank Authority, "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending), December 1, 2017

As a disclaimer, I am not journaling on a political platform because I am neither a fan of Gretchen Whitmore.

Michigan does not have an Hatch Act and I feel this is going to be quite an interesting story to follow under the illumination of similar, if not symbiotic, campaign finance schemes under federal investigations.

The Hatch Act, a federal law passed in 1939, limits certain political activities of federal employees, as well as some state, D.C., and local government employees who work in connection with federally funded programs. ​The law’s purposes are to ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation.​​​​ ​​

Bill Schuette stocks AG staff with GOP operatives as he launches campaign for governor

LANSING — Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has loaded his taxpayer-funded office payroll with Republican campaign activists in the run-up to his 2018 campaign for governor, a Free Press investigation has found.

Schuette also has used no-bid state contracts to pay more than $130,000 to two influential Republicans — one of whom has been active in the tea party movement that is important in winning a Republican primary, records show.

The state constitution and civil service rules prohibit hiring or firing employees based on partisan considerations, enshrining the idea that a professional state workforce based solely on merit should remain in place, regardless of what party or leader is in power.

But this year, in advance of his September announcement that he is running for governor, Schuette hired as civil servants four "constituent relations representatives," also known as "executive office representatives," who are all Republican activists or experienced GOP campaign operatives, records obtained under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act show.

They joined other highly politicized appointees and civil servants on Schuette's executive staff, all paid for by taxpayers. They include Schuette's driver, a political appointee who is paid more than $82,000 a year as a "special assistant" but doubles as Schuette's campaign treasurer, and two others with civil servant posts — a self-described "tea party organizer" and another constituent relations representative who was political director for Schuette's 2014 attorney general campaign and recently took a leave of absence to work full-time on his campaign for governor.

Schuette's executive office representatives are responsible for public outreach, giving speeches to service clubs and community groups, educating people about the department's programs and trouble-shooting issues raised by constituents, according to Schuette spokeswoman Andrea Bitely and department records.

Schuette's two predecessors — Republican Attorney General Mike Cox and Democratic Attorney General Jennifer Granholm — did not have these positions, though Cox had a director of constituent relations near the end of his eight years in office, state records show.

"That's a Bill Schuette thing ... making sure we have people out there who are listening," Schuette spokeswoman Andrea Bitely said.

"Receive rather than broadcast," she said.

"These people aren't hired because of their partisan politics. They're hired because they're the best and brightest."

Schuette's recently hired constituent relations representatives, positioned in attorney general offices around the state, are:

Judi Schwalbach: Hired in May as a constituent relations representative at about $50,000 a year, the former Escanaba mayor is an influential Republican in the Upper Peninsula who was a delegate to last year's Republican National Convention and attended President Donald Trump's inauguration. A member of the Republican State Committee, she works out of the attorney general's Marquette office.

Luke Londo: Also hired in May, Londo, a $52,000-a-year constituent relations representative, was digital director for the 2014 campaign of U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Crystal Falls, and a former regional press secretary for the Michigan Republican Party. He works in the attorney general's Detroit office.

Michael Sullivan: Hired in May as a $45,000-a-year constituent relations representative, Sullivan was coordinator of the 2014 state House campaign of Rep. Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, and has worked for a political consulting firm owned by Scott Greenlee, a former Schuette aide and campaign worker. He works in Lansing.

Brandon Sinclair: Hired in March as a $35,000-a-year constituent relations representative, Sinclair is a former political coordinator for the Kent County Republican Party who managed the 2016 campaign of state Rep. Tommy Brann, R-Wyoming. He works in Grand Rapids.

A report filed in October shows Schwalbach, Sullivan and Sinclair were all paid expense reimbursements this year by Bill Schuette for Governor, meaning each has been working on his campaign.

Schuette was unapologetic Dec. 6, when a reporter pointed out that his executive office representatives were Republican activists and Schuette supporters.

"They'd better be, or they're not going to be working for me," he said.

Schuette, who took office in 2011, softened his answer when asked whether that wouldn't violate civil service rules.

"You don't have to be a Republican, but you'd better have a relationship with Bill Schuette, or I wouldn't hire those people," he said. "I need to trust them, and I do."

Bitely said nobody does campaign work on state time, which would violate state law.

"I can't speak to what people are doing in their spare time," Bitely said.

Carter Bundy, a former field director for Michigan native Mitt Romney's presidential bid, illustrates the sometimes fluid relationship between Schuette's campaign and his state-funded office.

Bundy served as political director for Schuette's 2014 attorney general campaign receiving close to $62,000 in wages and expense reimbursements from Schuette's campaign fund — while taking unpaid leave from his then $40,000-a-year civil service job as a constituent relations representative for the attorney general's office. Bundy, who returned to his full-time job after the campaign, recently took a leave of absence from his now $74,000-a-year job so he can work full-time on Schuette's gubernatorial campaign.

J. Edward Kellough, a professor of public administration at the University of Georgia and an expert on civil service reform, said the situation in Schuette's office sounds unusual.

"There has been a trend in recent years to increasingly politicize the civil service," Kellough said in an e-mail Thursday. "I find that a very troubling trend that can undermine the integrity of the civil service."

Bitely said the job openings were posted on the state website and a committee of departmental officials followed civil service rules by not asking candidates about political affiliations during interviews.

While the vast majority of attorney general employees are supposed to be hired based solely on merit, without considering their partisan politics, Schuette is allowed up to five appointees who are not subject to civil service rules and serve at his pleasure. Duties of those officials also overlap with Schuette campaigns.

Dennis Starner, Schuette's driver and longtime friend and sounding board, is paid more than $82,000 a year as a "special assistant," but has another role that is arguably of equal or greater importance. Starner, a former chairman of the Midland County Republican Party, handles the accounting of millions in campaign donations and expenditures as Schuette's campaign treasurer.

Schuette's other appointees include Rusty Hills, and John Sellek. Hills, who earns more than $157,000 a year as Schuette's director of public affairs, was paid about $93,000 for his work on the 2010 campaign and has received more than $1,300 in campaign expense reimbursements since Schuette took office. Sellek, who is paid more than $153,000 as Schuette's director of public relations, took an unpaid leave during the 2014 campaign and has received about $95,000 in campaign consulting fees and expense reimbursements since 2013.

The four new constituent relations representatives joined civil servants already serving in Schuette's executive office in Lansing, who records show have worked on his attorney general or gubernatorial campaigns, including:

Wendy Anderson: The supervisor of Schuette's constituent relations representatives, Anderson, a frequent donor to Republican candidates and causes who has also listed her occupation as owner of a GOP campaign consulting firm called Election Resources, has worked for Schuette since he took office and is paid about $95,000 a year.

Sharon Lollio: Paid about $81,000 as Schuette's deputy director of legislative relations, Lollio's Facebook page describes her as a "tea party organizer." She joined Schuette's office in 2011.

In rejecting suggestions that Schuette's work is driven by partisan interests, Bitely noted Schuette has worked closely with Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton — a Democrat who ran against Schuette in 2010 — in prosecuting alleged crimes arising from the Flint water crisis.

Though having four constituent relations representatives in the attorney general's office is unique to Schuette, and the recently hired employees are new, the positions themselves are not. At least four GOP activists who worked for Schuette during his 2014 campaign for attorney general have since left their constituent relations positions. They are:

Scott Greenlee: The president of Greenlee Consulting and the Michigan director of Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, Greenlee, who left Schuette's office in 2016, was an $89,000-a-year constituent relations representative who received close to $7,400 in consulting fees and expense reimbursements from Schuette's campaign fund between 2010 and 2015. Greenlee stood out among Schuette insiders as an early supporter of Gov. Rick Snyder, who has frequently been at odds with Schuette and is not expected to endorse him for governor.

Matt Hall: Schuette's former constituent relations representative in Grand Rapids was paid about $77,000 a year when he left in 2016. He is a Republican State Committee member and was 3rd Congressional District chairman of the Trump presidential campaign. Records show he worked on Schuette's 2014 campaign.

Shannon Price: A former Republican Wayne County commissioner and Plymouth Township supervisor, Price was paid about $87,000 a year as a Schuette constituency relations representative in Lansing and Detroit until he left the office in 2015. He earlier served as a political appointee to both Schuette and his predecessor, Cox, before moving to the civil service late in 2011.

Stanley Grot: Now a Republican candidate for Secretary of State, Grot was an attorney general executive office representative under Schuette until February 2012, when he launched his successful campaign for Shelby Township clerk, records show. Grot, a GOP district chair, is a former Sterling Heights city councilman and Macomb County commissioner.

Records obtained under FOIA show that since 2011, Schuette has awarded a series of contracts to Glenn Clark, a former president of the Michigan Faith and Freedom Coalition, a former Michigan GOP district chair who was an Oakland County tea party activist.

The contracts, each worth between $25,000 and $50,000, are for making presentations related to Schuette's programs on Internet safety, protections for seniors, and the OK2SAY student safety initiative, records show.

Bitely said the total amount paid to Clark under the contracts was just under $117,000.

Though the contracts weren't awarded through competitive bidding, which Bitely said was not required, interested vendors had to submit a résumé and/or cover letter and be interviewed by Schuette's consumer protection team.

"We are interested in candidates who are comfortable with technology and speaking in front of an audience," as well as "diversity in terms of geographic location, race, and gender," she said. Most of the 36 current contractors are former educators, she said.

Clark, who is supporting Schuette for governor, said Schuette's office felt his experience organizing school fund-raising projects with Nestlé was a benefit in arranging appointments for presentations in schools.

Clark said Wednesday he left the Faith and Freedom Coalition in 2013 and doesn't currently have time for tea party activities because he is caring for his 99-year-old grandmother.

Schwalbach, the former Escanaba mayor, received just under $14,000 through similar contracts before Schuette hired her as a civil servant this year, Bitely said.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Calley v. Schuette And Those Pesky Trust Funds

Recently on Cocktails & Popcorn, we took a look at Those Pesky Trust Funds and land banks with John Engler, Brian Calley and campaign finance.

Well, it seems Calley is going for the jugular, hitting Schuette on his blind trust.

We have a sitting State Attorney General who took an oath on, basically, not to use his office for personal inurement, what some may find a bit more clarification in the understanding of emoluments.

The thing that got me was not the registration of Bill's corporation, Vircom, L.L.C. where he was the Grantor, but Ditleff Point Lots, a Group S, L.L.C., registered in Delaware, with the exact same addresses.

From Wikipedia:

An S corporation, for United States federal income tax purposes, is a closely held corporation (or, in some cases, a limited liability company (LLC) or a partnership) that makes a valid election to be taxed under Subchapter S of Chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code. In general, S corporations do not pay any income taxes. Instead, the corporation's income or losses are divided among and passed through to its shareholders. The shareholders must then report the income or loss on their own individual income tax returns.

Why does Bill have a Delaware corporation?

What, is Michigan LARA not good enough for you?

Is Bill a Corporate Shape Shifter?

Did I just find out why Bill called me a "Public Nuisance"?

Oh, those pesky trust funds.  They seem to becoming a bit of an interest as of lately.

Brian Calley alleges AG Bill Schuette violated 'blind trust' pledge

EAST LANSING — Attorney General Bill Schuette continued to have a hands-on role in business dealings, despite his claims he put his assets in a blind trust when he took office in 2011, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley charged Thursday.

Schuette, confronted by Calley with the accusations at a candidate forum on Thursday, said the allegations are false and accused Calley of desperation in his campaign for governor.

The Calley campaign released documents showing Schuette signed deeds in 2014 transferring real estate between Schuette businesses.

The deed records transfer real estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands from Vircom LLC, where Schuette signed as the company manager, to Ditleff Points, Group S, LLC, which lists its corporate address as Schuette's home address in Midland.

Later on Thursday, Calley campaign consultant John Yob retweeted images of another Vircom deed transfer record, from 2017, also signed by Schuette.

The Calley campaign released additional records they say show Schuette similarly directed offshore sales in 2012 and 2013.

"He's been directing the purchase, transfer of millions of dollars in offshore assets while attorney general," Calley alleged at the candidate forum hosted by the Michigan Press Association.

Schuette denied the allegation.

"Brian, you go around the state ... making false allegations," Schuette shot back.

"All my assets are in a blind trust."

Schuette wouldn't comment on the companies or transactions when approached after the candidate forum. He later issued a statement that said the transactions related to property holdings in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Colorado that he and his two sisters inherited from their parents. The transactions represent the sale of some parcels in the Virgin Islands, which were never included in the blind trust because it was family property, Schuette said.

More stories:

Bill Schuette, Brian Calley trade blows in GOP gubernatorial debate

Bill Schuette stocks AG staff with GOP operatives as he launches campaign for governor

The Calley campaign issued a news release saying the transactions show "a stunning level of hypocrisy" by Schuette.

"What else is Bill Schuette hiding?"

When Bridge Magazine earlier this year asked all candidates to make certain financial disclosures, Schuette released his federal tax return, as he has each year. But he declined to make an asset disclosure, citing his blind trust.

More: Michigan gubernatorial candidates release tax returns

Calley made an asset disclosure similar to the ones federal officeholders file.

Schuette said at the forum that "we need to have openness and transparency." He said he releases his tax return each year, and also made asset disclosures when he was a member of Congress.

"When we pass the law on financial disclosure (in Michigan), I'll do it," Schuette said.

After the forum, Schuette declined to answer questions about the companies involved, or whether he had ties to him. He said Calley has gone negative, but he will continue a positive campaign.

Several hours after the forum, his campaign strategist John Sellek said Calley is "continuing to make negative and false attacks," and thereby "diminishing the office he holds and more importantly, the one he seeks to occupy."

Calley campaign spokesman Michael Schrimpf said Schuette "lied multiple times about his financial holdings, and now he wants voters to believe that selling millions of dollars in real estate for his own benefit poses no potential for conflicts of interest."

Bll Schuette Warranty Deed 2014 by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette v. Beverly Tran and Detroit Land Bank Authority Quo Warranto by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Engler Is Mad At Schuette - Is It About Really Dark Money?

Schuette reading Engler's demand to remove
his name from the gubernatorial endorsement list.

It is my belief John Engler is mad at Bill Schuette for doing his job.

The only thing that really has me confused is to why it took Schuette to wait until the victim court statements into the record before he actually did something about it.

Perhaps, he is working behind the scenes in "other" FBI investigations like, oh perhaps, like the Detroit Land Bank Authority and their team of "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending).

People forget Schuette used to be up in D.C. and I bet he still has friends who know "stuff".

Perhaps, it has to do with Haiti.

Perhaps, it has something to do with the State Auditor General investigation into Michigan's child welfare operations.

Or maybe it is just a political stunt, like Engler is alleging in a round about way.

Either way, Engler is mad at Schuette.

Stay tuned, because it is my belief that this is going to get juicy and I bet it has to do with lots and lots of dark, really dark money.

Engler asks Schuette to pull name from endorsement list

Lansing — Attorney General Bill Schuette has removed John Engler’s name from a list of endorsements on his gubernatorial campaign website at the request of the Republican former governor who took over this week as Michigan State University’s interim president.

Engler “can’t be involved” in election-year politics as he helps MSU navigate continued fallout from the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal, spokesman John Truscott said Wednesday.

“It’s important for people to know at the university that (Engler) will not be engaging in any partisan political activity,” Truscott told The Detroit News. “This is a very serious job with a lot of work ahead of him. He won’t be diverting any attention to political activity, but he knows he has to work with people of all political persuasions.”

Schuette’s office is investigating the university’s handling of complaints against Nassar, a former university and USA Gymnastics doctor accused of assaulting more than 200 women and girls. The attorney general announced on Jan. 27 his “ongoing investigation.”

The Midland Republican is running for governor and first touted Engler’s endorsement for the GOP primary on Sept. 25, citing comments Engler made to a reporter with the Gongwer subscription news service.

A spokeswoman confirmed the Schuette campaign complied with Engler’s request, pulling his name from an online endorsement list Wednesday morning.

“Given the ongoing investigations by the Michigan Legislature, the Congress, the NCAA, the U.S. Department of Education and the Independent Prosecutor into Michigan State's failure to deal with Larry Nassar's sexual assaults over a 20-year period, the campaign has removed the name of the MSU President from all materials,” Bridget Bush said in a statement.

Engler and Schuette are political veterans who battled together in the 1990 statewide election. Engler appointed Schuette as his agricultural department director after the former congressman gave up his seat in a losing bid for U.S. Senate.

Observers say their relationship now is now showing signs of strain. In a Monday letter, Engler told special prosecutor Bill Forsyth he was disappointed agents arrived on campus Friday with search warrants and “camera crews,” noting Schuette has said the investigation “is not to be ‘political.’”

The surprise visit was “very much at odds with the cooperation I have pledged,” Engler wrote, saying he hopes the camera crews were not part of any “investigation ‘media strategy.’”

Truscott said he first asked Schuette’s campaign to remove Engler’s name from the endorsement list over the weekend, requesting the former three-term governor should not be mentioned in any campaign materials moving forward.

Engler will “sit everything out” this election cycle, he said.

Liberal advocacy group Progress Michigan said Wednesday that Schuette should also return political contributions from Engler. Campaign finance records show Engler and his wife last year each donated $2,500 to Schuette.

Engler’s request to have his name removed from the endorsement list is “a shot across Schuette’s bow,” said Bill Ballenger, a longtime political pundit and who served in the state Legislature in the early 1970s as a Republican.

“I don’t think Schuette wants to be going forward in his campaign with John Engler, whether or not he’s interim MSU president, at odds with him and making statements like he’s made over the past few days.”

He said he is surprised that Schuette or Forsyth did not reach out to Engler prior to Friday’s raid to ask for the cooperation that the former governor has promised.

“He was really put out about that, or at least he’s saying he was put out,” Ballenger said.

TJ Bucholz, a Democratic strategist who worked as a communications director for the Michigan Department of Education under Engler, said it makes sense for the former governor to distance himself from Schuette’s campaign to reduce any questions over political motives.

“John Engler is not a wall flower, and neither is Bill Schuette,” Bucholz said. “I think the public line on that is probably accurate, but I also think there’s probably a degree of animosity (over the campus raid) as well.”

The MSU Board of Trustees unanimously appointed Engler to the interim position last week after the resignation of former President Lou Anna Simon. Students and faculty have protested the pick, many citing Engler’s political background.

Former Gov. Jim Blanchard, a Democrat who lost to Engler in the 1990 general election, is expected to serve as a senior adviser to Engler at MSU. They are still working out Blanchard’s role and “may have something to announce next week,” Truscott said.

Schuette is competing for the GOP gubernatorial nomination against Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, state Sen. Patrick Colbeck of Canton Township and Saginaw obstetrician Jim Hines. He also has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and been supported by Vice President Mike Pence, whose political action committee donated to Schuette’s campaign.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Bill Schuette & His Ingham County Referral To FBI

Oh, Bill.

I guess you were right to say that I am a pubic nuisance.

Real estate, corporation, charity and child welfare law do not seem to be your forte'.

I wonder if Matt is going to pick this up?

Smooches!

Ingham prosecutor refers request for investigation of AG Bill Schuette to FBI

LANSING — The Ingham County prosecutor has referred attorney Mike Nichols’ concerns about possible criminal wrongdoing by Attorney General Bill Schuette to the FBI, according to Nichols.

The East Lansing attorney wrote Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon on Thursday, requesting a state grand jury or other criminal investigation of allegations Schuette improperly used state resources.

On Tuesday, Siemon spokesman Scott Hughes said that Siemon referred the letter from Nichols “to an appropriate agency,” which he would not identify.

But Nichols on Tuesday circulated the text of an email he said he received Monday from Siemon that said: “After some research, it was determined that the most appropriate investigative body for this matter is the FBI and I have made that referral.

"The Special Agent with whom I spoke indicated that while they do not contact all complainants, they likely will be in touch with you.”

Tim Wiley, a spokesman for the FBI, said the agency would not confirm or deny the existence of any investigation.

Nichols, who could not immediately be reached, circulated an email Tuesday that said Siemon's decision "is a good, prudent step," and "the FBI is an excellent choice" to handle an investigation.

Nichols, who represented former state representative Cindy Gamrat and saw the misconduct in office charges Schuette brought against Gamrat in 2016 dismissed by a district court judge in Lansing, said Schuette attempted to hold Gamrat to higher standards than those he observes.

In his letter to Siemon, a Democrat, asking for a criminal investigation, Nichols cited Schuette’s use of state employees to witness personal real estate transactions in his state-funded office and his hiring of Republican campaign operatives to taxpayer-funded civil service posts in the run-up to his current campaign for governor.

"I was the attorney for Ms. Cindy Gamrat and I experienced firsthand the selective standard that Mr. Schuette sets for those who hold public office," Nichols wrote. Now, "it appears that Mr. Schuette has violated many state laws and a formal investigation is warranted to preserve the integrity and transparency of the public office of the Attorney General."

Andrea Bitely, a spokeswoman for Schuette, said Thursday the letter from Nichols is "nothing but another baseless attack on an Attorney General with a strong ethical record." On Tuesday, she added: "If I had a dime for every time a criminal defense attorney attacked a prosecutor, I’d have a lot of dimes."

Bitely did not respond to an email asking what she thought about Siemon referring the complaint to the FBI. But Stu Sandler, a spokesman for a pro-Schuette Super PAC, said "this is a prosecutor's polite way of passing the buck," and "I think there's some politics at play here."

Nichols said Thursday he's been a member of the Ingham County Democratic Party but considers himself an independent voter who is "tired of the hypocrisy."

In May, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley accused Schuette of continuing to have a hands-on role in his business dealings after saying publicly he placed his assets in a blind trust. Calley's campaign released records showing Schuette's signature on multi-million-dollar real estate transactions related to family-owned property in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Schuette vigorously denied that his family real estate should have been placed in a blind trust but his officials acknowledged that staffers signed as witnesses some of the transactions while at work.

Your volley, Bill.

Calley is also seeking the Republican nomination for governor.

In December, the Free Press obtained records under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act that showed Schuette, in advance of his September announcement that he was running for governor, hired as civil servants four "constituent relations representatives," also known as "executive office representatives," who are all Republican activists or experienced GOP campaign operatives. The state constitution and civil service rules prohibit partisan consideration in state hiring.

The Free Press also reported that Schuette used no-bid state contracts to pay more than $130,000 to two influential Republicans — one of whom has been active in the tea party movement that is important in winning a Republican primary.

Gamrat and fellow Republican former state representative Todd Courser were charged in early 2016, amid a bizarre scandal in which Courser arranged for an e-mail to be sent out falsely accusing him of drug use and having sex with a male prostitute.. Courser has said the intent of the email was to send up a "false flag" that would help discredit rumors of an extramarital affair between Gamrat and Courser, which was real.

The charges against Gamrat related to her allegedly lying about whether she knew about the "false flag" email before it was sent and that she allegedly allowed staffers to sign her name to two bills.

In June 2016, a district judge dismissed both counts of misconduct in office against Gamrat, while also dismissing two such counts against Courser, but sending Courser to trial on one count each of perjury and misconduct. Charges against Courser are still pending.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Schuette For Michigan Supreme Court - The Endorsement Of The Celestial Goddess Of The Woodshed

In the spirit of fuchsia....

T'was the moment before heavens fell, 
And all through the State,
Not a supreme court candidate was stirring, 
Except for Smooches.

With his brilliantly concocted public defense psyoptic at the threshold,
His Legal Geniuses (trademark pending) in tow,
The world awaits the uncloaking,
Of the dark tale of Michigan's child welfare show.

It shall be "just us, Smooches....just us....".

Much love.

Celestial Goddess of the Woodshed

And that, boys and girls, is why The Celestial Goddess of the Woodshed endorsed Bill Schuette for the next, Michigan Supreme Court Justice.

Jacques: Run for Michigan Supreme Court next for Bill Schuette?

Mackinac Island — Former Attorney General Bill Schuette, who lost his bid to become governor last

"Looking good, Smooches!"

fall, is said to be weighing a run for the Michigan Supreme Court in 2020.

That's the hottest speculation on the island as Republicans gather for their biennial state convention. Much of the mission for the weekend is to recruit candidates for next year's ballots, and the GOP has been struggling to attract the sort of big names that will give their ticket heft — and fundraising legs.

Schuette would do both. Asked by a reporter whether he's considering the race, Schuette was evasive. But he didn't deny his interest, saying he's worried about the direction of the court.

"My big concern is how the court has shifted away from the strong rule of law court it was under (former Gov. John) Engler," Schuette said. "I'd like to see it return to that type of court. It's important for Michigan."

Several sources close to Schuette say he is strongly considering a run and that they wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a formal declaration of his candidacy soon — perhaps even this weekend.

The Supreme Court will be a key race in 2020. Republican-nominated justices currently hold a 4-3 majority on the court, which is frequently called on to settle policy disputes.

Two seats will be up for grabs, but Republicans won't have an incumbent on the ballot, due to the retirement of Justice Steven Markman, who was appointed by Engler in 1999. Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, who was nominated by Democrats, must stand for reelection, and will be the only incumbent in the race.

While Schuette has no formal role at the GOP conference, he is hosting a reception, typically something political hopefuls do to court supporters.

If he runs and wins, Schuette, 65, would be able to serve only one, eight-year term. Michigan law prevents justices from running after they reach age 70.

But one term would be could enough for party leaders desperate for marquee candidates in 2020.

Along with court nominees, Republicans are hunting for contenders capable of reclaiming the two U.S. House districts they lost in 2018 to Democratic Reps. Elissa Slotkin and Haley Stevens, and someone who can hold the seat of retiring Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Dryden.

The GOP also needs a dozen new state House candidates to replace term-limited incumbents. It currently holds a 58-52 majority in the chamber, an advantage that was significantly whittled after the 2018 balloting.

Schuette has been largely out of the public eye since his failed gubernatorial bid. Democrat Gretchen Whitmer defeated Schuette decisively, posting a 10-point margin of victory.

But he began hinting this summer that he was likely to be tackling a larger political role soon, including the possibility of helping lead President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign in Michigan. Schuette, who switched his support to Trump after former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush dropped out of the 2016 presidential race, was endorsed by the president.

He would be a strong contender for the open Supreme Court seat, given his name recognition and established campaign structure. Prior to serving two terms as attorney general, Schuette served on the state Court of Appeals, was a congressman from mid-Michigan and was a member of the state Legislature.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: This Is Not A Political Campaign, This Is A Quest To Avoid Federal Indictments: Bill Schuette Trying To Get His Groove On - VIDEO

I really do not understand why this is such a salacious find, simply for the fact that the Michigan

Bill Schuette -Circa 1980

Board of Canvassers has still, yet, to this very moment that I type these words, to certify and record the 2018 Primary Election vote results.

Bill has multiple investigations going on with child trafficking and other criminal operations in the Christian Churches, Medicaid fraud in child welfare, mortgage fraud, campaign finance fraud, money laundering, real estate fraud, election fraud, international drug and uranium smuggling operations, public corruption, geographic genocide, corporate & political international espionage, patent fraud, bank fraud, both on the federal and state levels, even as a person of interest, too.

Bill also knows about some really fun indictment avoidance stuff Gretchen is doing, but I am not going to snatch his thunder.


Besides, this #MeToo crap is getting rather old.

What about the kids?

Priorities, you know.

He was a bit unrefined in the art of seduction back then, but maybe she liked it.

We should ask her.

Obviously, she consented to the expressions of passion because she did not curse him out nor did she immediately throat punch him, so before we jump to any political smearing conclusions, let us just sit back, relax, do a few shots, play a few rounds of quarter bounce while we wait for Bill to respond.

I already heard internet chatter that there is an earth moving operation about the partying of Engler, Schuette and a lawyer named Pete Jordan out of Big Rapids in the 1980s.

Bill has many options, and subpoena powers, you know.

Hey Bill, whacha gonna do?

Smooches!

Schuette regrets ‘embarrassing’ exchange from 1989

Lansing — Michigan Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bill Schuette said this week he is embarrassed by and regrets his "poor attempt to be humorous" during an exchange with an unidentified woman ahead of a 1989 interview.

American Bridge, a Democratic group specializing in opposition research, published the archival outtake online Thursday but was unable to provide additional context. The 38-second clip begins with a woman who is off screen and never seen asking Schuette to move closer to a lamp.

“I will do anything you want,” said Schuette, who was an elected member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 1989. “Some things I may not let you run the camera on.”

The woman then says something inaudible, and Schuette responds.

“I admire your tenacity, appreciate your spirit of Vincent Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Toulouse-Lautrec.”

A slightly shorter version of the clip appears to have been posted online in July by a conservative news site that has usually published stories friendly to Schuette. The American Bridge version quickly spread online Thursday and generated strong reactions among Democrats and their allies.

Women are subjected to “creepy behavior like this” every day when they go to work and try to do their jobs, said Lori Carpentier of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan PAC, which has endorsed Democrat Gretchen Whitmer for governor.

“It wasn’t funny then. It’s not funny now,” she said in a statement.

Schuette’s campaign said he did not know the origin of the video and does not recall the apparent interview it came from. But he watched it recently and responded late Wednesday before the Democratic group had published its version of the clip.

"That apparently was my poor attempt to be humorous 30 years ago,” Schuette said in a statement, noting the clip was edited to show only one short portion of an exchange that "has been in the public domain for some time."

“It’s fortunate for me that Cynthia came into my life and let me know that I am not a very funny guy, but this is no less embarrassing to me today, and I regret it."

The Midland Republican married Cynthia Grebe, a former WOOD-TV news anchor, shortly after losing his 1990 campaign against then-U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit.

Now the sitting state attorney general, Schuette is competing with Whitmer and third-party candidates in the Nov. 6 general election to replace term-limited Gov. Rick Snyder.

Whitmer responded to the video online.

"I imagine everyone who’s watched it had the same uncomfortable look on our faces,"  she wrote on Twitter. "But even more troubling is the fact that Schuette has spent the past 33 years in office attacking the rights of women and working to take away our access to contraception and health care."

A spokesman for American Bridge said the group does not have any additional footage from the interview.

The clip was “sent to us via a file sharing service by someone who gave us an assumed name,” Zach Hudson told The Detroit News in an email. “We don’t know anything beyond what is in this video.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Wayne County Medicaid Fraud In Child Welfare

It's my time to shine.

Look here =====> Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC).



Ficano faces state probe of Medicaid spending by county

Schuette checking claims of illegal use of funds for disabled

Detroit —Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is investigating Wayne County for Medicaid fraud, adding another layer to the probe of Executive Robert Ficano's administration.

Schuette sent an "investigative demand for documents" to the county on Feb. 3, seeking a raft of materials since 2003 about the Detroit-Wayne County Community Mental Health Agency. Schuette is investigating claims, raised in lawsuits by two former directors, that Ficano used money intended for those with developmental disabilities to pay salaries of spokespeople.

The News reported in January that one of the directors, Richard Visingardi, was subpoenaed as a witness by a federal grand jury investigating the county. Visingardi has yet to appear but said Thursday that he's preparing materials to forward to the state.

"This is about who knew what when, and what they did or didn't do about it," said Visingardi, who served as director of the agency from 2005 to 2006 and received $200,000 to settle a lawsuit claiming Ficano misused money intended for the disabled.

News of the request was reported by The News just as Ficano's chief deputy, Jeffrey Collins, was briefing county commissioners on new ethics policies for Ficano's 168 appointees. The new reforms were expected to help diffuse a scandal that started over a $200,000 severance in September and grew into a full-bore FBI investigation of four years of county deals and payouts.

Instead, Ficano faces another criminal investigation on a separate front. The letter from Schuette's office indicates his investigators intend to share their findings with federal authorities.

Pat Dostine, a Ficano spokesman, said his office received Schuette's request but declined to comment because the "investigation is ongoing." Schuette's spokesman didn't return a call for comment Thursday.

Some longtime members of the mental health authority that provides services to 75,000 people said the probe is overdue.

Constance Rowley, who has served on the board since 1998, said Ficano's administration kept putting appointees on the mental health payroll even if they had no experience or provided no services to the agency. When directors complained, they were fired, she said, citing Visingardi and his predecessor, Patricia Kukula Chylinski.

"They see that pot of money (and) they identified ways to utilize it," she said.

Mohamed Okdie, the agency's former chairman, called the investigation "long overdue" and said he had been railing about the use of mental health money to pay for county operations. He said the county wrongly used $17 million in Medicaid money to plug a budget hole.

"No mental health monies, Medicaid or otherwise, should be used to subsidize county functions outside the parameters of the mental health programs that the agency provides," he said.

Ficano spokeswoman Brooke Blackwell has said that numerous audits have shown no evidence of wrongdoing.

Schuette's letter demands details of a 2004 settlement with Kukula Chylinski, audits, numerous contracts, all settlements, bank information, emails, grievances and payroll information.

The settlement to Kukula Chylinski, who was fired in 2003, was sealed but opened after a lawsuit this year by union activist Robert Davis.

The settlement included pension enhancements that could be worth as much as $850,000 over her retirement.

Kukula Chylinski said she has not been contacted regarding the probe, but called the allegations "serious." She said she left the county eight years ago and is "not in a position" to comment.

Schuette also wants any correspondence between Kukula Chylinski and former county chief financial officer Bella Marshall "indicating that mental health funds were used to pay for the county executive's press secretary or other county employees that were not performing mental health functions."

Marshall on Thursday said: "I have no idea what they are talking about."

The investigation is the latest involving mental health. The News reported in December the FBI has subpoenaed the county for information about a $70,000 contract for suicide-prevention programs in 2008. The contract, to an ex-husband of a Ficano fundraiser, called for 12 forums at area schools. Only two occurred.

Michigan Privatizes: Act I Scene 2016

Privatization in child welfare works, as long as there are fresh, young, cost reimbursed labor pools of creative laborious human factories willing to feed their children, by any means, necessary, for profit off the poor.

After the curtain is raised, the scene opens with a mother
holding her son while reassuring her daughter that CPS will
not take them away for being poor.

But, I know Bill Schuette.

He is really a wonderful man, with an illustrious career in politics, who has touched the lives and spirits of many, including myself.

Baby, what happened?  Come talk to mummy.
This is a major case to watch, not because it will reduce the wages of the predominately female profession of health care, but it also strips the opportunity of oversight of these workers.

Always watch what happens in child welfare policymaking, because it is pilot platform for molding the rest of society's beliefs.

Bill Schuette Joins Lawsuit to Lower Wages, Take Away Healthcare Worker Overtime

Amicus brief chooses for-profit agencies over Michigan workers

LANSING — On December 23, 2015, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of for-profit home care agencies’ attempt to lower wages and end overtime protections for home healthcare workers. The case is an attempt to overturn U.S. Labor Department rules that give these healthcare workers basic labor rights.

“Once again Attorney General Schuette is using his position as the people’s lawyer to do the bidding of large out-of-state corporations,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “People who provide home care should have the same workplace protections as all other workers.”

A study by PHI National shows that the vast majority home care workers are female (91 percent) and a majority of the workers are minorities (56 percent). Despite, or because of this fact, Bill Schuette still submitted his brief.

“Bill Schuette’s crusades against women and working people have diverged in this case,” Scott continued. “Instead of standing up for the rights of hardworking health care workers in Michigan, Schuette once again is on-duty for big business- in this instance the home care industry. It’s time for Schuette to stop being a show horse for his corporate donors and start being a workhorse for Michigan workers

Thank you,

SCOTUS Overtime Pay Brief

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Michigan Attorney General Can Strip Immunities At An Executive Whim

I find this to be an interesting turn of events.

The ethical conflict of interests of the Michigan Attorney General

For almost a decade I have intensely analyzed, isolated, and threw out to feed the politically voracious leaders who wish to address the rights of society.

I have torn apart the one small power yet to be questioned, which was over looked by the mightiest state attorney general in the nation, built by the one and only Frank Kelly.

How can the state attorney general contemporaneously "advocate and advise"?

See, in child welfare, it is the Michigan Attorney General who prosecutes cases of child abuse and neglect, and also termination of parental rights.

The Michigan Attorney General also represents the privatized contractual arms of child welfare.

A series of state laws rammed through the legislature, in essence, stripped immunities from these state contracts.

Prior to that, the Michigan Emergency Manager Law put in a cute little section, basically saying that the state can throw any emergency manager under the bus.

The executive Office of the State of Michigan has granted itself with the powers to grant immunities.

I even know of a situation where a city has granted itself immunities, or rather, a very unique interpretation of the transfer of immunities, found somewhere in the Type III Transfers under state executive orders.

I could go through and insert lots of hyperlinks to support my position in previous posts, but I just realized that I wrote a book on this.

In essence, the attorney general can pick and choose who it represents, devoid of any ethical standard.

If they will do it to kids, they will do it to their own employees.

UPDATE: TOLD YA SO

DEQ workers will get state-funded lawyers in Flint case

and this is why:

FBI joins Flint drinking water investigation

It seems Mr. Schuette had a change of heart once the feds stepped in.

State might not defend DEQ workers in Flint water suit

Attorney general says his office can defend only Snyder, state

A new legal migraine could be kicking in for seven Michigan Department of Environmental Quality employees who are being sued over the Flint water crisis.

According to a federal court filing, State Attorney General Bill Schuette said his office "likely" can’t defend the DEQ workers and that they need to find their own lawyers to represent them in a pending lawsuit filed by Flint residents. Schuette has asked a federal judge to decide the issue of whether his office has to defend the DEQ employees -- which is typically done when a state agency or its employees get sued --  or if they should get their own attorneys.

"We’re not just opening the door and sending them out into the world with no assistance," Schuette spokeswoman ... said of the DEQ employees. "We’re going to work with the governor’s office to make sure these folks have lawyers."

DEQ officials declined comment citing pending litigation, but said it is reviewing Schuette's recommendation that the DEQ employees get their own attorneys.

In a move that could suggest friction is building between various state agencies over the Flint fiasco, Schuette has said that his office can defend the governor and state, but not the DEQ employees, because their interests could be at odds as defendants in the case.

“As the issues surrounding the situation in Flint have unfolded, particularly in the last week, it has become apparent that there is a potential conflict of interest between the Governor and State of Michigan on the one hand, and the individual MDEQ employees on the other,” Schuette wrote in a late Friday filing in the court case. “Given this conflict, counsel have determined it is likely they cannot effectively represent both sets of clients.”

Schuette, consequently, asked the court for an additional 30 days to respond to the allegations in the lawsuit, saying he needs more time to go over the case, and the DEQ defendants need more time to find a new lawyer.

The lawsuit centers on allegations by Flint residents that the city and state endangered their health by exposing them to dangerous lead levels in their tap water after switching their supply last year in a move to save money.

Specifically, the lawsuit revolves around Flint’s decision in 2014 to switch to water from the Flint River instead of Detroit's water system, after Gov. Rick Snyder had placed the city under an emergency financial manager.

The switch, the lawsuit claims, has triggered a host of health issues,including dry skin, lesions and respiratory disorders. And even though Snyder decided in October to switch Flint back to Detroit’s water system, the lawsuit says the move is too late and that too many people have already been harmed.

The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of 10 plaintiffs, but seeks class-action status on behalf of all Flint residents. The plaintiffs want compensatory and punitive damages, a medical monitoring fund to be created, and the appointment of a monitor to oversee Flint's water.

The defendants are Snyder, the state of Michigan, seven DEQ employees, the city of Flint, two former emergency managers of Flint, the former Flint mayor and three city employees.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Schuette Special Prosecutor Investigates MSU, Clinton Foundation & Detroit Land Bank Authority For Child Welfare Fraud

Well, look at what we have here!

We do not just have an historic investigation, we have ourselves a real race for Governor of Michigan.

First, Brian Calley, Michigan Lieutenant Governor and 2018 Gubernatorial Candidate comes out calling for money to make everything go away.

Brian Calley To Help Children Tortured & Trafficked By Michigan 

Then, I sat back to wait and see what Bill Schuette, Michigan Attorney General and 2018 Gubernatorial Candidate was going to do as a comeback to the weak response to Calley.

Schuette: Special prosecutor, Michigan State Police will lead investigation into Michigan State

Yes, my precious Bill did the ultimate smackdown on Brian, but he did more than that.

Bill Schuette let me know that he is all over this.

See, the State Auditor General has "Reopened" the Ricky Holland investigation by suing the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and I just so happen to be an original source about this, so I can tell you that it is about child welfare fraud.

I am pretty sure the case is being represented by Schuette's office, or at least coordinated, because the case is in the Court of Claims.

Anyway, Schuette is using lots of special prosecutors, which is great to distance himself from any look of impropriety or political bias, because William Forsyth could be considered as a political operative for his campaign, but I really do not care at this point because Schuette is going for the glory.

Now, let us play a little game called, "Guess who did not incorporate in the State of Michigan".

If you say, "Detroit Land Bank Authority" you are absolutely correct, but there is one more organization, where the "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) of #perkinscoiesucks did not incorporate.

Perkins Coie did not incorporate the Clinton Global Initiative University in the State of Michigan.

So, how is it that Michigan State University joined with the Clinton Global Initiative University?

Kent County Land Bank Authority of the Michigan State University College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Land Policy Institute.

Yes, the same Kent County where William Forsyth, the special prosecutor, hails, but this might just be a good thing considering that he might just be considered a subject matter expert.

This might be the same phenomenon that happened with Matt Schneider, Schuette's former Deputy Attorney General, coming back down to Detroit as the top U.S. Attorney for Michigan Easter District Court, to continue t he Detroit public corruption investigation that put former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, et al in their proverbial proper places.

There is one more area of significance the local rags will not talk about.

Michigan State University is a major influence in child welfare policies in the State of Michigan, for quite some time.

Hillary Clinton made her claim to fame on the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which is nothing more than a child trafficking operation, where Michigan is up there in the top 3 in the nation for children trafficked through foster care and adoption.

Michigan State University has a youth mentoring program just like Penn State had, except it is part of the University called FAME.

The children who were raped in the Jerry Sandusky, Penn State incident were foster kids, and more than likely, so were some of the youth in the MSU situation.

The Education of Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette On Penn State Child Welfare Fraud Scandal

Welcome to the family, Bill, or should I start calling you Governor Bill, because I finally figured out why you called me a public nuisance.

Love ya, too.

Call me.

MSU to join Clinton Global Initiative University

As they prepare for a Wednesday visit from former President Bill Clinton, Michigan State University will join his Global Initiative University and offer a campus-wide minor in entrepreneurship and innovation.

In doing so, MSU will be the first Michigan university to join CGIU, which was created to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world.

“Michigan State is committed to creating an entrepreneurial culture on campus and preparing our students to solve the world’s most pressing problems in innovative ways and to embark on careers that won’t resemble those of the past,” Neil Kane, MSU’s director of undergraduate entrepreneurship, said in a written statement.

Clinton will be on campus Wednesday and be the keynote speaker at the Governor Jim Blanchard Public Service Forum and first recipient of the Spartan Statesmanship Award for Distinguished Public Service.

The award and forum, announced in September, were established through a $1-million gift to MSU from Blanchard and his wife, Janet. Blanchard said the program honors distinguished leaders in politics, diplomacy, public service and journalism and gives MSU students and others “a chance to meet them and be energized by them.”

“The goal of this lecture series is to provide generations of students, faculty and people in the MSU community with the opportunity to hear and learn from national and international political leaders and others,” said Blanchard, former Michigan governor, U.S. congressman and ambassador to Canada, in a written statement. “His public service in politics, followed by his excellent work through the Clinton Foundation, is exactly the type of dedication and inspiring story we hoped to bring through the Blanchard Forum.”

The Clinton Global Initiative Network is a consortium of colleges and universities that provides support, mentoring and seed funding to student entrepreneurs. Students develop a “commitment to action” to explain how they might solve a social problem in areas such as education, the environment and public health.

Some students are chosen to attend the CGIU’s annual meeting. By joining the initiative, MSU pledges to financially support students invited to the meeting, which next takes place April 1-3 at the University of California-Berkeley.

Raeuf Roushangar, an MSU doctoral student in biochemistry, attended the CGIU at Washington University in St. Louis in April 2013. As part of his commitment to action, Roushangar formed a nonprofit organization that to date has donated more than $1 million worth of medical supplies to the developing world.

Two MSU students have applied for next year’s CGIU: a neuroscience freshman from Ghana, who is creating a mentoring program similar to Big Brothers Big Sisters, and a computer science sophomore from Ethiopia, who is working on a software application to make college more accessible to students in Ethiopia.

With the Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which starts in the spring semester of 2016, MSU establishes a way for students to develop entrepreneurial skills, whether they aspire to start a business or become more competitive candidates for traditional employers.

Required for the minor are 15 credit hours consisting of two core courses and an assortment of electives that allow students to tailor the curriculum toward their interests.

“A university is an ideal setting for students to experience the entrepreneurial journey because there is no financial or professional risk in trying,” Kane said. “Once students leave campus, the cost, which is measured many ways, goes up a lot.”

Reply To Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette Thanksgiving Letter On Penn State Scandal by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Calley v. Schuette: MSU, Clinton Foundation, Child Welfare Fraud & Detroit Land Bank Authority

Calley v. Schuette 2018

Recently on beverlytran.com, I thought it would be fun to do political color commentary on the Michigan 2018 race for governor because I know stuff.

This race is going to be all about Michigan's Child Welfare System and the Clinton Foundation, including TARP, but specifically, Detroit Land Bank Authority, et al.

Calley called for money to fix the MSU-Nassar-Engler drama.

Schuette came back and did the Calley smackdown by taking the reigns on the MSU-Nassar-Engler drama by announcing Bill Forsyth to do the special investigation.

I must say that I am oddly stimulated by Calley because I did not think he had it in him.

In the spirit of fuchsia!

MSU case prods Calley push for new independent counsel

Lansing – Lt. Gov. Brian Calley is expected Friday to call on the Michigan Legislature to create a new class of independent special prosecutor in state law, citing potential conflicts of interest in cases like Attorney General Bill Schuette’s investigation of Michigan State University.

Calley dropped the ole "expected" use of his Lieutenant Governor superpowers to have th.e Legislature introduce, and pass, what I am calling an emergency Bill, only because the primaries are August and he would have to get "The Elected Ones" to actually come together and do something besides stealin'.

Schuette on Saturday announced that retired Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth is leading the probe into MSU’s handling of the Larry Nassar sexual assault scandal, promising a thorough investigation “from the president’s office down.”

Actually, I do not have an issure with Forsyth for the simple reason that, if you are running a major, and this is going to be an historic investigation (trust me on this one) you really want people around you who are "ride or die" when it comes to taking on the deep, dark material that is about to be unearthed.

But Calley, a Portland Republican who is running for governor and competing against Schuette for the GOP nomination, said Thursday that special prosecutors appointed by the attorney general – such as Forsyth – are “not at all independent, and that is problematic.”

If Calley has an issue with special prosecutor function of the Attorney General's Office, then where was he when Schuette called Arena and Flood to do the Flint - Governor's Office investigation?

Calley will ask legislators to change state law to allow courts to appoint independent special prosecutors to investigate situations like the scandal at MSU. He said he wants to see that change as soon as possible.

If the law is changed, will it be retroactive and will it replace the Flint - Governor's Office investigation?

“This case is rife with potential conflicts,” Calley told The Detroit News. “Relationships, ties, connections do affect things. Having a truly independent review is important. It does not inspire confidence the way things transpired this week.”

How about calling in the DOJ?  It is called a referral.

Forsyth is known as a tough, fair-minded attorney, according to people who know him. But critics have questioned his impartiality because his 2016 retirement party was partially sponsored by MSU booster Peter Secchia, who is also a major GOP donor.

Whatever.

The party was a fundraiser for Silent Observers, a non-profit that relies on donors to gather anonymous tips to help police solve crimes, said program director Chris Cameron, who added that “there is no conflict” because the organization lined up all the sponsors.

Schuette’s office has fought criticism of the investigation, calling Forsyth an “honest and quality prosecutor who will get the job done.”

Forsyth comes out of Kent County, which has a land bank, which is under MSU, which advised Michigan on the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, which advised the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority, which worked with the Detroit Land Bank Authority, which makes him a subject matter expert.

“His goal is to find the truth and he will, thoroughly and completely in an unbiased way,” spokeswoman Andrea Bitely said Tuesday.

And to find out what Michigan hid under all that TARP.

Interim MSU President John Engler, the former governor unanimously selected for the post Wednesday by the MSU Board of Trustees, is also connected to MSU boosters such Secchia. Engler joined the board of Universal Forest Products Inc., the company Secchia led, in 2003.

Enter the "cleaner" - Engler.

Secchia stirred controversy last week by saying parents who feel their children would be unsafe at MSU could send them elsewhere since the university has a long waiting list.

Asshole.

Calley’s call for a independent special prosecutor comes amid continued criticism of MSU trustees, who remain under fire over the Nassar scandal after former President Lou Anna Simon and Athletic Director Mark Hollis resigned last week.

Hey Brian, are you thinking what I am thinking?

"If you can get rid of Schuette's control of the MSU-Nassar-Engler drama by getting a special prosecutor, then you do not have to cite your conflict of interests with Schuette, considering the fact that you are under a state special investigation in dealing with your emails in the Flint Water Crisis."

House Speaker Tom Leonard, R-DeWitt, is among those continuing to call on the full eight-member board to resign. He said Thursday impeachment proceedings are “off the table” because they would require proof of “unlawful conduct.”

State elected board of governors are useless, just ask Debbie Dingell.

Leonard declined to say whether he thinks Snyder should launch a formal inquiry into possible neglect of duty or malfeasance by trustees. Snyder’s office said last week action against MSU leadership was “under review.”

Synder is too busy working with his legal defense team on rebuilding an image and soliciting funding to pay for it.

If Snyder did force any members out of office, he could appoint a replacement. MSU Board Chairman Brian Breslin works for the governor as his manager of appointments and helps Snyder make picks for a variety of open positions.

Precious, Snyder is under multiple federal investigations, just saying.

Leonard told reporters he thinks Engler was a good choice to lead MSU and thinks criticism over the pick is “very unfortunate.” Still, he said, trustees should step down.

Engler is the perfect choice to take over MSU.  He is a key target of the entire Michigan child welfare fraud probe.  Oops, did I just say that?

“Is there any of them right now that in good faith can travel this country or travel across the globe, sit down across from them, and be taken credibly by them as it relates to representing the university?” Leonard said. “I believe that answer is no.”

Separately, Republican state Rep. Jim Lower of Cedar lake on Thursday proposed a constitutional amendment that would abolish governing boards at MSU, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan and have the state’s next governor replace the elected members.

The joint resolution would also dissolve and replace elected State Board of Education members who have direct supervisory duties involving K-12 schools.

That sounds like one of those Clinton privatization authority-emergency law governmental takeover schemes.  

Lower’s proposed amendment would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the Michigan Legislature followed by statewide approval by voters in November. It would abolish boards at three major state universities – the only three nominated by political parties and then elected by statewide voters – and the Board of Education on Dec. 31.

On the first day of 2019, Michigan’s next governor would appoint new members to staggered terms. The appointments would be subject to review by the Michigan Senate.

“I believe voters should have the opportunity to decide for themselves whether or not the current system is working,” Lower said in a statement. “We need to place this on the ballot this year.”

Time to do a deep dive on Jim Lower.  I wonder if he was bribed or blackmailed.  Maybe he was just punked, like one of his other colleagues.

Two MSU trustee positions are up for election this year, but incumbents Breslin and Mitch Lyons have said they are not seeking re-election. Calley said Thursday he would like to see a Nassar abuse survivor on the board and would help those that run for the seats.

What about a survivor of human trafficking, considering the fact that MSU advised Michigan on its child welfare policies.

First-term Rep. Lower said he has long considered the nomination and election process for the state and university boards to be “problematic.” Nominees are selected at political party conventions and are not often well known by voters who see their names on the general election ballot.

“This situation, coupled with eight-year terms, leads to very little accountability and a lack of thorough vetting,” Lower said.

Rep. Adam Zemke, an Ann Arbor Democrat and vice chairman of the House Education Committee, said he is open to ideas to increase accountability for university boards but does not think gubernatorial appointments would accomplish the goal.

“I don’t see how we would be increasing accountability by taking away the voters’ direct voice in the process,” Zemke said.

I have a fabulous idea to increase accountability over Michigan's entire education institution, provide an option for justice for "The Poors".  Give the people access to legal representation through an educational legal defense trust fund.  Michigan has that Children's Trust Fund, never before audited, why not let the children use it instead of "certain" people using it as a slush fund.  Snyder has a legal defense fund for poisoning Flint's children, just saying.

Schuette, in his campaign for governor, called for a similar constitutional change this week, but Lower’s resolution proposes going further by also giving the governor appointment power for the State Board of Education, as recommended last year by a commission appointed by term-limited GOP Gov. Rick Snyder.

Speaker Leonard is not committed to taking up Lower’s proposal. He has tasked committee chairs with developing reform proposals in response to the MSU scandal and intends to let them “do their work and build the best proposals they can,” said spokesman Gideon D’Assandro.

“I think there’s going to be several ideas for potential reforms,” he said.

Make sure to comeback to find out what Schuette's next move is going to be.  This is actually turning out to be a really juicy race!

Smooches, boys.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©