Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, along with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, testified last week before the House Ethics and Oversight Committee in support of the Bringing Reforms in Integrity, Transparency and Ethics (BRITE) Act, a package of bills to increase disclosure requirements for shadowy political funds, slow the revolving door of legislators-turned-lobbyists, and expand gift disclosures for elected officials.
In her testimony, the Attorney General called on the Legislature to close the gaps in Michigan campaign finance law that currently allow powerful interests to fund politicians through secretive means to avoid public disclosure of their influence seeking.
Nessel criticized the current ineffective statutes as contributing to a culture of corruption, and giving bad actors a private highway to influence elections and public policy.
“Dark money threatens the impartiality of elected officials in all branches of government, and as we have seen far too often, lends itself to political corruption,” said Nessel. “Democracy dies in the darkness. If we?can’t?stop the influence of special interest money we can shine a light on it, and the BRITE package before us today is a solid?first?step toward restoring the public’s trust in Michigan politics.”
Nessel has been a strong advocate for improving standards of government ethics and transparency and prosecuting those who use positions of power for personal gain.
Earlier in the week, Nessel charged former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield with 13 felonies for allegedly orchestrating a scheme of self-enrichment against state, campaign, and non-profit funds. The Attorney General in recent months charged two individuals in connection to an alleged money scheme to use nonprofits to illegally hide donations to the Unlock Michigan ballot initiative.
However, Nessel said in her testimony that the current statutes governing political funds and donor disclosures in this state were futile and the people of Michigan deserve a fully transparent and accountable system that doesn’t operate in the dark.
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