Whitmer Reaches New Levels of Hypocrisy with MEDC Grant

In the latest twist of the $20 million Fay Beydoun scandalous saga, new reporting from The Detroit News reveals that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration told lawmakers they had no authority to halt the payout, even after the public learned that the multimillion-dollar grant was awarded to the governor’s personal friend and political donor. The new report comes weeks after Whitmer claimed she was “glad” the grant was canceled amid an attempt to recoup the grant funding. 

The Whitmer administration’s stance comes despite bipartisan outrage over the grant, which was awarded to a non-profit created only after the funding was approved. Lavish, taxpayer-funded spending tied to the organization, including a $4,500 coffee maker, an $11,000 first-class ticket to Europe, and a $550,000 salary for Whitmer’s donor, has drawn condemnation from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

“On top of cronyism, this is classic hypocrisy from Governor Gretchen Whitmer,” said Mary Drabik, a spokesperson for Michigan Forward Network. “Whitmer supported and signed off on the $20 million grant for Fay Beydoun, seemingly putting her foot down when Beydoun was caught abusing public funds, while simultaneously sidelining the Legislature’s constitutional responsibility to provide oversight. This is a new level of flip-flopping, even for Whitmer.”

Speaker of the House Matt Hall has introduced transparency reforms in the Republican-led House to stop these pay-to-play politics, but Senate Democrats have not followed suit, choosing instead to stand with Gretchen Whitmer and political insiders over the people of Michigan.