The Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) has filed several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking details on how a recent trip by state Republican leaders to the U.S. southern border was financed.
The requests were sent to various offices, including the Michigan Budget Office, Michigan House Business Office, Michigan Senate Business Office, and the offices of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
The trip in question was taken by House Minority Leader Matt Hall and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt to Eagle Pass, Texas, where they claimed to have met with Texas officials and observed attempts by illegal immigrants to cross the border. The MDP’s FOIA requests aim to obtain any records, including correspondence and receipts, related to this trip.
The Michigan Democratic Party (Credits: Mobilize)
MDP Chair Lavora Barnes criticized the trip as a “bad-faith political stunt” and highlighted the Republican leaders’ calls for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to send National Guard troops to the border.
She noted that Michigan had already sent troops to assist at the border in response to requests from both former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. Barnes also pointed out that Hall and Nesbitt had previously voted against funding for Michigan’s National Guard and military operations.
Tommy Kubitschek, a spokesperson for the MDP, emphasized that if taxpayer dollars were used for the trip, it would be an “indictment of their ability to lead” in Michigan. He suggested that the rhetoric surrounding the use of Guard troops at the border continues to shape GOP politics in the state.
The Michigan Democratic Party (Credits: Mobilize)
Efforts to obtain comment from Hall and Nesbitt’s offices regarding the FOIA submissions have not yet been successful. Kubitschek emphasized the importance of transparency in determining whether taxpayer funds were used for what he characterized as a political stunt.
