Michigan Republican state representative who said he couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be violence as Electoral College electors meet in capitol is kicked off committees by his own party
Republican Michigan State Rep. Gary Eisen got stripped of his committee assignments from the leaders of his own party after he said he couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be violence as Electoral College electors gather Monday at the state capitol.
Eisen appeared on WPHM radio and was asked by host Paul Miller, 'Can you assure me that this is going to be a safe day in Lansing, nobody's going to get hurt.'
'No,' Eisen replied. 'I don't know because what we're doing today is uncharted. It hasn't been done.'
Republican Michigan State Rep. Gary Eisen was booted from committees by leaders of his own party after he told a radio host Monday morning that he couldn't guarantee there wouldn't be violence at the Michigan state capitol over the Electoral College vote
The Michigan state capitol and office buildings are closed to the public Monday after state officials said it was under threat
Two pro-Trump demonstrators stand outside the Michigan state capitol on Monday as Electoral College electors make Joe Biden's election win official
Eisen suggested Michigan's Republican Party planned to hold some sort of 'event' in the capitol, but plans had been scuttled after there was a 'bomb threat phoned in from Wisconsin,' the GOP lawmaker said.
'So they're going to lock us out of our offices, they're going to lock us out of the capitol. How convenient is that? When they're going to sit electors today, so that we can't support our options,' Eisen said.
Eisen also said he didn't know if the bomb threat rumor was true, but Amber McCann, the spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a Republican, said there were 'credible threats of violence,' explaining why the capitol and its office buildings were being locked down in a statement Sunday.
'I come over last night to Lansing to help and give my support. And now all of the sudden we're locked out of our offices, we can't go into the capitol,' Eisen complained. 'So we are going to make an attempt because they technically can't keep me from going into the capitol on official business, they can't do that OK?'
If Eisen was blocked from entering the capitol, the representative said 'than we are simply going to move our event to a different location and proceed with what we're going to do today.'
Throughout the interview, Miller called out Eisen's dubious claims about state lawmakers having the power to do anything to influence Monday's vote and fretted about his actions causing violence.
Eisen wouldn't say when asked what event he was planning.
'It will be all over the news later on,' the lawmaker said.
Miller replied, 'This sounds dangerous.'
Eisen referred to it as a 'hail Mary' and refused to agree with Miller who said, 'every avenue has been exhausted.'
'No it hasn't,' Eisen said. 'It hasn't alright. Maybe after today it wil. But at least we have one play left and we'll throw that ball.'
He also said the 'event' wasn't his idea.
'It's not me doing it it's the Michigan, it's the Michigan party, the Republican Party, I'm just there as a witness,' the lawmaker said.
Shortly after the interview aired, Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Speaker-elect Jason Wentworth, both Republicans, announced their decision to remove Eisen from his committee assignments in the closing days of the two-year session.
In a statement they said threats or suggestions of violence in politics are never acceptable including 'when the public officials open the door to violent behavior and refuse to condemn it.'
'We must do better,' Chatfield and Wentworth said.
Michigan's Electoral College electors are expected to cast their votes for President-elect Joe Biden at 2 p.m. Monday.
No comments