LANSING, Mich. – For the first time, lawmakers and Michiganders heard from former Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon about his abrupt resignation and the $155,000 severance deal that came with a now-lifted confidentiality agreement.
Gordon, who resigned in January, detailed that day, saying he was called to a meeting with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s staff and Whitmer attending via video.
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“When I arrived, I saw the governor and members of her staff, and she -- the governor -- said to me ‘Robert, I’m grateful for your service and I think it’s time to go in a new direction,’” he said.
Gordon’s deal has been described by Whitmer’s opponents as “hush money” or a “sweetheart deal.” One member of the committee Thursday called Gordon suspicious.
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But what started as claims of hush money when the deal was discovered has shifted to questioning whether the deal -- described by the governor as routine -- may have broken the law.
Despite Republicans and Democrats debating back and forth on the deal, Gordon said his time as director was an honor.
“I was honest. I was candid ... I always tried to do the right thing,” he said.