Attorney General Dana Nessel has repeatedly called for greater government transparency. But in high-profile criminal cases in her own office she has successfully fought to keep records on government searches hidden, even after they are introduced in court.
Lee Chatfield
Posted inMichigan Government
Judge sides with Dana Nessel, keeps secret Lee Chatfield warrants
Bridge Michigan, Free Press fighting to make public search warrants in ongoing investigation; a judge rules that Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office doesn’t need to provide clarity over when that might happen.
Posted inMichigan Government
Feds assisting probe of former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield
A lawyer from Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office told a judge that ‘federal agencies’ are now helping the state investigate Chatfield, who has denied accusations of sexual assault and financial wrongdoing.
Posted inMichigan Government
Gretchen Whitmer (again) vows to open records, toughen lobbying rules
Michigan’s governor hasn’t achieved breakthroughs on transparency and ethics reforms that she proposed in her 2018 campaign. But after winning re-election, Whitmer said she is ready to work with Democratic legislative majorities to get it done.
Posted inMichigan Government
Dana Nessel: Keep Lee Chatfield records secret to avoid embarrassment
In seeking to suppress search warrant records in the criminal probe, the attorney general’s office argues that some current and ex-state officials, appointees and lobbyists could be embarrassed if the records are made public.
Posted inMichigan Government
Bridge, Free Press seek court hearing to open Chatfield records to public
Bridge Michigan and the Detroit Free Press are asking a judge to reconsider an order that indefinitely blocks public access to records in the criminal probe of former House Speaker Lee Chatfield.
Posted inMichigan Government
Dana Nessel obtains blanket shield of Lee Chatfield investigation records
After Bridge Michigan and the Detroit Free Press won access to documents that would shed new light on the criminal investigation against the former house speaker, Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office obtained a court order blocking release of virtually all records in the case.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan State Police hand off Lee Chatfield probe to Attorney General
A spokesperson for Dana Nessel’s office said the criminal investigation prompted by allegations of sexual assault by Chatfield’s sister-in-law remains “open and ongoing.”
Posted inMichigan Government
Lee Chatfield’s home searched amid criminal probe, Dana Nessel confirms
The search at Chatfield’s northern Michigan home comes amid an investigation into allegations of sexual assault.
Posted inMichigan Government
Search warrant confirms scope of criminal probe of Lee Chatfield’s finances
An investigation that began with a sexual-assault complaint against the former Michigan House Speaker has expanded to financial records tied to campaign and nonprofit funds, and the roles of two close Chatfield associates, Rob and Anne Minard.