Release: Governor Whitmer and Secretary Benson Offer Unconstitutional Bribe to End Lawsuit

Birmingham, MI – An Assistant Attorney General acting on behalf of Governor Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson offered to extend the Petition filing deadline, but only for Eric Esshaki, in return for him dropping his lawsuit against them.

In rejecting this bribe offer, Esshaki stated, “This is how worried Governor Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson are about my lawsuit. They sent an offer to create a special and likely unconstitutional loophole for me, in return for allowing their unconstitutional policy to remain unchallenged.”

The Assistant Attorney General wrote, “My clients, Defendants Secretary Benson, Director Brater, and Governor Whitmer, have asked me to propose a stipulated agreement whereby we agree to extend Mr. Esshaki’s deadline to file until May 5^,2020. No other accommodation is being offered at this time.”

The bribe offer would end the lawsuit, but leave the 1^st and 14^th Amendment violations in place for every other candidate in Michigan. It would also likely lead to a flurry of lawsuits from other candidates seeking the same treatment.

Esshaki said, “This stinks so badly you have to ask, are they afraid of losing, and what are they trying to hide? Granting one candidate a private extension is wrong. How many Democratic candidates have they secretly given this extension to? I am saying “NO” very loudly to their bribe.”

It is widely believed that Benson is doing this to protect incumbent Democratic members of Congress. It should be noted that this also significantly impacts judicial candidates.

Under Michigan law, judicial vacancies are appointed by Governor Whitmer and are not subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. According to the Secretary of State website, there are approximately 180 judicial offices this year with 33 being determined as “non-incumbent” meaning they require signatures to file as a candidate. These 33 include: Judge of the Court of Appeals, Judge of the Circuit Court and Judge of the District Court.

Esshaki said, “If they get away with preventing conservative judges from running for office, Whitmer will then pack the courts with left wing zealots. These Whitmer appointed judges will be blindly loyal to her and the Democratic party.”

Esshaki concluded, “Simply put this bribe was to prevent the Constitution from being upheld and to give Whitmer and Benson the power to get away with partisan games. I won’t let them.”