Great Lakes Wire

Top Michigan officials have committed felony crimes and should resign and then be arrested and charged, alleges a conservative Michigan group.

That’s the position of a group led by Ryan D. Kelley, a citizen activist and “Founding Father” of the American Patriot Council. Kelley said there are three cases the group would like to see pressed against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. 

In Case 1, the APC alleges two violations of the First Amendment as well as one each of the Fifth Amendment and the 14th Amendment.

Ryan D. Kelley | Submitted

In Case 2, the group alleges Nessel and Whitmer falsified, concealed information and facts and made fraudulent statements.

Case 3 states that Whitmer and Nessel concealed nursing home data during the COVID-19 pandemic, the group alleges.

The group has met with Department of Justice (DOJ) officials as well as FBI agents and spoken with several lawyers, Kelley said. In an exchange of letters posted on the American Patriot Council website, the government entities declined to pursue the matters.

They then wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr, asking him to move on the cases.

“What is happening in Michigan cannot be overlooked, the people of our state are restless, and the federal crimes are evident. The people of Michigan will have justice,” the letter to Barr states.

“You tasked [U.S. Attorney] Matthew Schneider with protecting constitutional rights and civil liberties, which he has not done and is electing to not do. 18 USC 241 & 18 US 1001 under 18 USC 2331(5)(B)(i)(ii) have been violated multiple times in Michigan. You said the Constitution is not suspended during this time, actions taken in Michigan are contrary to that. Now it’s time to restore liberty.

“We want the DOJ to do their job, restore the constitutional supremacy in America as the law of the land and bring these corrupt elected politicians to justice.”

The letter also states that the American Patriot Council is acting “in a legal and lawful manner.” The APC also wrote letters to the three officials, asking them to resign and turn themselves into authorities.

Despite the lack of official actions, Kelley, a small business owner from Grand Rapids, said he has received a good response for the theoretical cases.

“Public support has been overwhelmingly positive,” Kelley told Great Lakes Wire. “APC expects the DOJ to do their job and hold corrupt [criminal] politicians accountable. Chances of success depends how much public pressure we get to hold the DOJ accountable to do their job. America must never forget the tyranny of 2020.”

He has been at the forefront of the fight over COVID-19 restrictions for months.

“It’s time to unite people, not divide,” Kelley said in an April 30 release from the APC. “Taking sides the way the governor does only creates division.”

The battle over COVID-19 restrictions has sparked demonstrations at the state capital in Lansing, with armed citizens calling for an end to COVID-19 restrictions. It also has led to legal skirmishes.

The Michigan Supreme Court was asked by U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney if Whitmer had the authority she argued under the Emergency Powers of Governor Act of 1945 or the Emergency Management Act of 1976. One of the pertinent questions was if those acts violate the separation of powers spelled out in the Michigan Constitution.

During a Sept. 9 hearing, Justice David Viviano pointed out the 1945 act was drafted after 1943 race riots and dealt with police powers, not a public health emergency.

Maloney is presiding over a lawsuit over Whitmer ordering a cessation of “non-essential” medical procedures. The case was filed by some western Michigan medical providers, and although the orders were dropped, the lawsuit has pressed forward.

It’s not the only legal challenge to Whitmer, a Democrat. The Michigan Legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, has filed a lawsuit arguing she did not have the power to extend the 1945 act without the permission of both houses. It also says the act itself is unconstitutional.

A similar case arose in another state, as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Gov. Thomas Wolf’s COVID response was unconstitutional.