Michigan GOP chair causes controversy with ‘witches,’ assassination remarks

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – The leader of Michigan’s Republican Party is under fire for what he said at a meeting of the North Oakland Republican Club.

At the meeting, GOP Chair Ron Weiser referred to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel as “three witches.”

UPDATE: Michigan GOP chair apologizes for calling top state officials ‘witches’

“I made the decision to continue to serve to make sure we continue to have an opportunity to take out those three witches in two years from now,” Weiser said.

Weiser has been party chair for only a few months, but he’s had the position before.

READ: Michigan GOP elects new leadership amid accusations of corruption

“Our job is to soften up those three witches and make sure we have good candidates to run against them,” Weiser said. “They are already burning at the stake.”

A crowd member asked how the party would unseat GOP Reps. Fred Upton and Peter Meijer, two of the 10 Republican House of Representatives members who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump.

“Other than assassination, I have no other way than voting them out,” Weiser said. “You people have to go out there and support their opponents. Do what you have to do to get the vote out in those areas. That’s how you beat people.”

Weiser’s comments brought a quick response from Whitmer, who was targeted in an alleged domestic terrorism plot last year.

“Given the dramatic increase in death threats against Michigan elected officials during the Trump Administration, this type of rhetoric is destructive and downright dangerous,” Whitmer said. “It’s time for people of goodwill on both sides of the aisle to bring down the heat and reject this kind of divisive rhetoric.”

Nessel responded to Weiser’s remarks on Twitter.

The Republican Party released a statement that said that Weiser made it “very clear that it is up to the voters to determine the nominees of the Republican Party, and to suggest anything else is dishonest and irresponsible.”

The Michigan Department of State released the following statement: