DETROIT – Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison weighed in as Michigan’s politics gained attention in the national spotlight.
Starting with the controversial election bills in Lansing that mirror pushes in Republican-controlled states across the country.
Supporters of the bills claim they aren’t meant to target voters, but shore up elections.
“That’s a bunch of hooey. Integrity means it’s about honesty and the only thing that we know that they’re honest about is that they are trying to steal elections,” Harrison said. “They’re trying to make it much more difficult.”
Harrison -- whose grandfather was a police officer in Detroit for 40 years -- also weighed in on a controversial tweet from Rep. Rashida Tlaib that called for an end to policing.
READ: Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s tweet about police draws pushback from law enforcement
Does Harrison believe that tweet undermines the work that the Democratic Party is trying to do?
“I don’t think so. Listen, this country is a big country, we all have our opinions, we all have our thoughts in law and it’s based on our experiences,” Harrison said. “You can’t begrudge anybody for what they believe and how they believe.”
He also waived away criticism of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recently disclosed trip to visit her father, which wasn’t disclosed until after she had returned.
“She is working her behind off on behalf of Michigan and making sure that the folks in Michigan get all of the vaccines that they need and deserve to make sure that they get all the resources to shore up that economy,” Harrison said. “And I think that’s what people really care about at this point in time.”
Whitmer’s office has maintained that the trip to Florida was not a vacation but a necessary family trip to visit her ill father.
READ: Michigan Gov. Whitmer blasts criticism over visiting sick father in Florida