Bill Schuette and Gretchen Whitmer
The gubernatorial race in Michigan is heating up.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette's gubernatorial campaign accuses East Lansing lawyer Mike Nichols, who is co-hosting an upcoming Democrat Gretchen Whitmer fundraiser, of coordinating a "smear campaign" by requesting a criminal investigation into his personal real estate transactions, Jonathan Oosting of The Detroit News writes.
On Saturday, an invitation for a July 22 Whitmer fundraiser surfaced that showed Nichols and Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon were among dozens of co-hosts.
Last last month, Nichols asked Siemon to launch a grand jury investigation into Schuette for using staff in his official state office to sign paperwork for personal real estate deals. Siemon referred the request to the FBI, which has not commented publicly on the matter.
The News reports:
The fundraiser invitation "officially confirmed this smear campaign is coordinated by a member of Gretchen Whitmer's fundraising team," Schuette strategist John Sellek said, referencing Nichols. "These false political attacks stink to high heaven because they are the kind of garbage making voters cynical about politics."
Whitmer spokesman Zack Pohl tells The News Schuette should "look in the mirror" if he “wants someone to blame for the mess he’s in.”
