Whitmer expresses concern over Senate GOP leader's meeting with self-described militias
Paul EganLANSING – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Tuesday she wants to know whether any of the self-described militia groups Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey met with last year to help them with their messaging were involved in the alleged plot to kidnap her.
Shirkey, R-Clarklake, needs to answer some "tough questions," Whitmer said at a news conference, speaking from Washington, D.C., where she is preparing to attend the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday.
The Free Press first reported in October on a May 18, 2020, interview Shirkey gave to JTV in Jackson, in which he said militias — private, armed paramilitary organizations, often self-described as militias, that have proliferated in Michigan for decades — are "getting a bad rap," and composed of people "not uniquely different" from you and me.
The Free Press article appeared after the FBI charged six men with conspiring to kidnap Whitmer and the state Attorney General's Office charged eight others with charges including providing support to terrorism. Most of the men charged were connected to self-styled militias and videos were shown in federal court of the men conducting live-fire training.
"They’re not 'militias,' " Whitmer said in an October tweet that did not appear limited to the Wolverine Watchmen, a group whose members are accused of plotting against her. "They’re domestic terrorists endangering and intimidating their fellow Americans. Words matter."
There have been more recent news reports about Shirkey's 2020 interview after the recent riot at the U.S. Capitol. Several members of self-described militias have been charged in connection with that attack.
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Asked at a Tuesday news conference to comment on what Shirkey said in the interview, Whitmer said: "I don't know how to respond to the revelation that the Senate majority leader has been meeting with militia groups." But she asked: "What groups did he meet with? Were any of them invoved in the plot to kidnap and kill me?"
Shirkey said in the interview that he had asked to meet with the leaders of various Michigan militia groups and believes many of them get a bad reputation because of people who tag along after them, seeking attention, such as someone wanting "to get their photo taken with a noose on a Barbie doll."
He said he met in Lansing with leaders of three of the groups and "we talked about their messaging, their purpose, what are they trying to accomplish, and how they could improve getting their message across."
Shirkey said the meeting "was very fascinating, and they’re not uniquely different from you and I. They bleed red, white and blue, but they feel like they’re not being heard."
He said he suggested that each group create its own code of conduct, which could be carried on a pocket-size card and shown to members of the public who question or challenge them.
Shirkey did not respond at the time to questions about the interview. His spokeswoman, Amber McCann, did not immediately respond Tuesday to a text message asking her to identify the groups Shirkey met with.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4. Read more on Michigan politics and sign up for our elections newsletter.