Michigan businessman and civil rights advocate Kim Thompson has filed a complaint with Michigan’s Attorney Grievance Commission against Ingham County Interim Prosecuting Attorney Gretchen Whitmer in response to what he alleges to have been politically-motivated and biased action against Milo Yiannopoulos following his show in Michigan earlier this month.
“The Complaint alleges that Whitmer steered prosecutorial and police action away from alleged lawbreakers whose politically motivated actions she supports, and against a visiting public speaker whose political views she disagrees with,” a press release emailed to Breitbart Tech stated. “The complaint alleges an apparent abuse of the office of the Ingham County Prosecutor to stifle free speech in Ingham County.”
“The complaint stems from press reports of Whitmer’s handling of potential criminal charges stemming from unruly protests at a free speech event sponsored by a Michigan State University student group,” it continued, referencing the left-wing extremist group BAMN which protested MILO’s show.
“After some of the protestors refused to obey repeated police commands, several protestors were arrested by the MSU Police. Press reports indicate that the MSU police asked the prosecutor to file charges of obstruction and resisting arrest against two or more of the arrestees,” the statement explained. “According to a news reports, Whitmer refused the request, citing a lack of evidence. She then allegedly called on the MSU Police to instead investigate the invited speaker Milo Yiannopoulos, to determine if criminal charges could be brought against him instead of against the persons actually arrested.”
Indeed, on December 13 th , just a few days after the Yiannopoulos event, Ms. Whitmer stated:
“We may accept that Donald Trump will be sworn in as president, but we refuse to accept everything that could follow. We are going to stand up and fight every time he attacks a community of color or a religious community. We are going to fight every time he attacks public education, or women’s health care, or worker’s rights, among a litany of other things. This is just the beginning.”
Almost a month earlier on November 10th, Gretchen Whitmer herself attended another anti- Trump rally on the MSU campus. At that post-election march, protestors shouted chants of “Dump Trump,” “**** Trump,” and “Not My President.” Video of the event shows Gretchen Whitmer speaking at that protest and offering words of encouragement to the protestors.
“When protestors motivated by anti-Trump sentiment were arrested, given Ms. Whitmer’s recent participations in anti-Trump protests, she should have recused herself,” said Kim Thompson, who has filed the complaint, in his press release. “The fact that police requests for charges against those arrested at the protest were reportedly refused by Ms. Whitmer raises questions regarding motivation and conflicts of interest.”
“Ms. Whitmer’s request, as reported in the press, that the police investigate the very speaker who was being protested is unsettling,” he continued. “This suggests to me, at least, that the prosecutor’s personal political views and biases may be a determining factor as to who is charged with a crime and who is investigated for crimes in this county. Her actions and failure to recuse herself create a public perception that governmental power may be directed against persons whose speech the prosecutor disagrees with.”
“Whatever our personal political views, it is our duty as citizens to demand answers and to demand an open inquiry as to why the prosecutor would ask that police resources be used to investigate the speaker,” concluded Thompson. “Nothing is more dangerous to our liberty and democracy than a prosecutor who may be willing to use police power to investigate and prosecute people with whom she politically or philosophically disagrees.”
Following the arrest of numerous protesters who refused to unblock doorways, MILO donated $17.76 to their bail fund.
MILO and his tour crew had infiltrated the organized protest dressed in black masks and holding purposefully misspelled anti-MILO signs, before MILO unveiled himself to both the delight and horror of protesters.
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington or like his page at Facebook.
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