Michigan Republican state legislators are calling for an investigation into Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over coronavirus deaths at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.
The legislatures have sent a formal letter to U.S. Attorney General Monty Wilkinson and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel requesting an investigation.
Fox News reports that State Sen. Jim Runestad spearheaded the letters, which were signed by seven other Republican state senators.
“Gov. Whitmer’s regional hub policy placed patients with and without COVID-19 in the same facilities and may have exacerbated the death toll in those facilities,” Runestad said in a statement. “Questions remain regarding the accuracy of data, compliance with CDC guidelines and compliance with our state’s Freedom of Information Act. There is a critical need for a full investigation into these matters.”
The senators also pointed to “discrepancies” in cases and death data “in the state’s long-term care facilities.”
“It has now come to our attention that these reporting errors have likely not been resolved,” the letter said. “Gov. Whitmer’s regional hub policy put patients with and without COVID-19 in the same facilities and may have exacerbated the death toll in those facilities.”
“And, due to reporting failures, there will be no accurate data on how many residents may have been harmed by the administration’s policies because there is no clear reporting path to document nursing home patient cases by facility after a transfer takes place,” they continued.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is currently facing calls for impeachment over his handling of nursing homes during the pandemic.
