Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charlie LeDuff wrote in a recent tweet: “We are preparing a lawsuit against Gov. Whitmer of Michigan. She refuses to turn over COVID death data and accurate nursing home numbers to the public.”
“All the way to the Supreme Court, Madam. Thanks to the @MackinacCenter, who has agreed to take our case,” LeDuff noted.
Michigan state data covering the period of Jan. 1, 2020 to Feb. 23, 2021, reveals that 5,523 nursing home residents have died of COVID-19. Yet questions have circulated about the accuracy of this data, with Republican state legislators in Michigan recently issuing a call for a probe into Whitmer’s handling of nursing homes during the pandemic and claiming “discrepancies” in the death data.
MUST WATCH: GIANT EMPEROR TRUMP FIGURE AT ITALIAN FESTIVAL
Spokesperson Holly Wetzel confirmed to the Washington Examiner that the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation has agreed to represent LeDuff in the lawsuit.
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SET TO ESTABLISH "GAZA CAMP" AFTER BEING DENIED FOR LACK OF LEADERSHIP
“Mr. LeDuff approached us after being denied access to the records that underlie the data being reported by the state,” Wetzel told the outlet via email. “We are seeking access to those records to be able to compare them to the numbers being reported by the state, and to gain a better understanding of COVID’s effect on Michigan.”
MUST WATCH: AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTER MOPS THE FLOOR WITH CLIMATE ACTIVISTS
Whitmer’s policy on sending COVID-19 patients to nursing homes was similar to that of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is currently facing criticism for allegedly underreporting deaths in long-term care facilities and for a controversial directive that may have fanned the flames of the outbreak in nursing homes.
THE TRAGIC TALE OF IGNORED WARNINGS: HOW 2023 MAINE MASS SHOOTING COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED
LeDuff wrote in another tweet that, while Cuomo reversed his policy, Whitmer has not.
“#Whitmer copied most everything from #Cuomo on nursing homes. Except one HUGE difference. Cuomo stopped Covid(+) people from returning home back in May. Whitmer still allows it in [Michigan].”
U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES' REPORT RELEASED: WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR NAVALNY'S DEATH?
In the early days of the pandemic, Michigan implemented a policy that sought to prevent hospital overcrowding by returning medically stable seniors to the nursing homes they lived in. Whitmer’s April 15 executive order imposed a condition for such readmission, namely that the facilities had to set up dedicated isolation units and have adequate personal protective equipment.
WAIT FOR GAS PRICES TO RISE! OVER 30 MISSILES LAUNCHED AT UKRAINE'S ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE
Meanwhile, at a hearing last week, Michigan House Oversight Committee Chair Steve Johnson, a Republican, said he contacted the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) asking for clarity on discrepancies between the department’s tracking numbers and figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on COVID-19 related deaths, ClickonDetroit reported.
ARE ENTHUSIASTIC PRO-HAMAS ACTIVISTS SHIFTING LOYALTIES TO ANOTHER TERRORIST GROUP?
Responding in a letter, MDHHS Director Elizabeth Hertel told committee members that the state has “consistently implemented the most accurate reporting protocols with the goal of maintaining quality death data.”
OSCAR PISTORIUS' SEEN FOR FIRST TIME SINCE PRISON RELEASE (EIGHT YEARS AGO!)
Hertel wrote, as cited by ClickonDetroit. “It is my belief that Michigan has done an exemplary job of collecting, tracking, and validating data throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and it cannot be overstated the commitment by our staff and partners in ensuring that the data is correct.”
Discover alternative ideas that will make you think
Engage in mind bending debate
Earn points, rise in rank, have fun
