Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has refused to take sides in the dispute between Attorney General Dana Nessel and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, who has accused Nessel of prosecuting people who took part in anti-Israel protests on the University of Michigan campus because they are Jewish.
Jake Tapper, speaking on CNN's “State of the Union” on Sunday, asked the Democratic governor whether she agreed with Democratic Gov. Nessel that accusations that Tlaib attacked anti-Israel protesters on campus because of her personal religious bias are rooted in anti-Semitism.
“Do you think Ms. Tlaib's suggestion that Mr. Nessel's office is biased was anti-Semitic?” Tapper asked.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. (Bill Priano/Getty Images)
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“All I can say is I know that Michigan's Jewish community is suffering, and I know that our Palestinian, Muslim and Arab communities are suffering,” said Governor Whitmer. “It's really hard and painful to see the incredible toll this war has taken on both communities, and my heart breaks for so many of them. But my job as Governor is to ensure that both of these communities are protected and respected under Michigan law, and I will be focused on doing just that.”
Tapper pressed her again: “Do you believe Attorney General Nessel is not doing his job?”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer looks on at the United Center during the second day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. (Reuters/Brendan McDiarmid)
“Because Rep. Tlaib is suggesting that we shouldn't prosecute these individuals that Rep. Nessel is saying are breaking the law, and that she's only prosecuting them because she's Jewish, and the protesters aren't Jewish,” he continued. “That's a pretty egregious accusation. Do you believe that's true?”
Governor Whitmer continued to avoid questions on the issue.
“Like I said, Jake, I'm not going to get involved in this discussion that they're having,” she said. “I can say this: We want to make sure that students feel safe on campus, and we recognize that everyone has the right to express how they feel about issues, the right to speak up, and I'm going to use all of my tools to ensure that both of those things are true.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) posed for a selfie outside her office in the Rayburn Office Building with anti-Israel protesters who were rallying at the Capitol. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Nessel, Michigan's first Jewish attorney general, filed charges against nine college students who refused to leave an anti-Israel encampment after police ordered them to do so in May, the Detroit Metro Times reported. They are charged with trespassing and resisting or obstructing a police officer. ReportedlyTwo more people were charged. Attempted ethnic intimidation and malicious destruction of private property at a separate anti-Israel protest.
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Tlaib, a member of the Squad and a vocal critic of Israel, blasted Nessel's allegations as “shameful,” saying in an interview with the Detroit Metro Times, “The attorney general appears to have decided that if the issue is Palestine, she's going to treat it differently. This alone speaks to possible bias within the institution she runs.”
Anti-Israel demonstrators gather outside the University of Michigan President's Mansion in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on October 13, 2023, to protest University of Michigan President Santa Ono's “statement on Middle East violence.” A Jewish teenager was assaulted last weekend in what authorities are calling a “bias-motivated attack.” (Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via The Associated Press, File)
Nessel replied: X states, “Rashida Tlaib should not use my religion to suggest that I cannot perform my duties fairly as attorney general. That is anti-Semitic and wrong.”
Governor Whitmer's reluctance to defend Nessel caught the attention of Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, who scolded the governor for not backing the attorney general.
“@GovWhitmer, it's in the interest of public safety when the Attorney General prosecutes people for breaking the law, harassing Jewish people, and attacking police officers. It's bigotry when a congresswoman accuses the Attorney General of prosecuting protesters because she's Jewish.”
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“Saying 'I want to ensure students are safe on campus' is just empty words if you're not going to use your influence to speak out clearly about anti-Semitism and support holding people accountable for violations of laws that affect Jewish people.”
