Freedom Fund Calls on House, Senate Democrats, MDP to Reimburse Taxpayers for Expenses Incurred by Virgil Smith, Brian Banks, Stuart Dunnings
LANSING, MI, April 4, 2016 – The Michigan Freedom Fund today demanded that Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, House Minority Leader Tim Greimel, and Michigan Democrat Party Chairman Brandon Dillon reimburse taxpayers for costs incurred by elected Democrats facing serious legal challenges in 2016 stemming from violence against women and state employees.
State Senator Virgil Smith continues to represent Detroit residents from a jail cell, and has racked up $64,792 in pay since his May 2015 arrest for beating his ex-wife and riddling her car with bullets from a high powered rifle.
State Representative Brian Banks, himself a convicted felon and frequent rent scofflaw, earlier this year settled a lawsuit filed by a former House staffer who accused the lawmaker of sexual harassment and of firing him when he refused Banks’s sexual advances. When added to the expense of the settlement, defending himself during the lawsuit on taxpayers’ dime cost the people of the state of Michigan more than $97,572.
Meanwhile, Democratic Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings, III, continues to draw taxpayer funded pay and benefits while refusing to resign from office following his arrest on 15 prostitution and other felony charges.
“Michigan Democrats are in jail for beating women, on their way there for forcing women into prostitution, and settling lawsuits for sexually harassing state employees—the last thing state Democrats should do is force taxpayers to subsidize their criminal lifestyles,” said Tony Daunt, Director of Operations at the Michigan Freedom Fund. “It’s time Jim Ananich, Tim Greimel, and Brandon Dillon stand up against this kind of violence against women and reimburse the state for the costs associated with cleaning up Democrats’ legal messes.”
Michigan Freedom Fund is a nonprofit organization run by Michiganders for Michiganders, working to advance, promote, and protect Michigan workers’ Constitutional rights. For more information on the Freedom Fund, please visit www.MichiganFreedomFund.com.
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