Lansing Sun

State Representatives Graham Filler and Andrew Fink have voiced strong criticism against Attorney General Dana Nessel. The representatives, both attorneys, accused Nessel of threatening to prosecute a bipartisan majority of legislators who did not attend a House session on Wednesday. This absence reportedly stalled the agenda of the House Democrat leadership.

In their statement, Reps. Filler and Fink expressed concern over what they perceive as an abuse of power by the Attorney General. They stated: “The Attorney General’s threat to prosecute lawmakers for exercising their constitutional rights is baseless, reckless, and a blatant abuse of power. The Michigan Constitution gives the Legislature — not the Attorney General — sole authority over attendance and penalties. Her attempt to twist the law to intimidate legislators into submission is a dangerous overreach and a clear violation of the separation of powers."

The representatives further criticized Nessel's actions as politically motivated. They remarked: “Dana Nessel’s claims are absurd. If her logic held, even Speaker Joe Tate’s failure to hold regular session days this summer could be considered criminal. This is nothing more than a desperate political stunt to silence opposition and distract from her party’s failures."

They concluded with a commitment to continue opposing what they see as undue pressure from the Attorney General's office: “Nessel is trying to weaponize her office and bully lawmakers into rubber-stamping Democrat leadership’s agenda, but we won’t back down. We will not be bullied. House Republicans remain focused on fighting for policies that protect small businesses, tipped workers, and hardworking Michiganders.”