The Republican-led Michigan House Oversight Committee approved a slew of legislative subpoenas Tuesday directed at state departments, including the Attorney General’s office.

The oversight committee has aggressively used its subpoena power in this session to squeeze agencies in an executive branch controlled by Democrats.

The committee authorized two subpoenas demanding records related to the end of a criminal investigation by the Attorney General’s office into a Democratic Party fundraiser. 

Attorney Traci Kornak is a former Michigan Democratic Party treasurer was investigated for insurance fraud in 2022. The department set up internal firewalls due to Kornak’s relationship with Nessel, but GOP committee members say there appears to be evidence that Nessel was kept informed of progress on the inquiry and may have influenced the decision to drop it.

Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Twp.), chair of the oversight committee, said the subpoenas were necessary to help come up with improvements to Michigan’s campaign finance laws, but also hinted impeachment could be on the table.

“The House has the power to ability to impeach civil officers of the State of Michigan where corrupt conduct in office occurs,” he said. “In order to faithfully exercise its responsibilities in this regard, the House is entitled to investigate the Department of Attorney General’s decision to decline issuing criminal charges in this matter.”

Another subpoena asks for records and communications with the Department of State related to a campaign committee to include LGBTQ protections in Michigan’s civil rights law.

Tuesday’s round of subpoenas also includes records from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on its regulation of game ranches and its program for euthanizing Canadian geese as a wildlife control measure.

The committee demanded an in-person appearance by Michigan Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel, who is a member of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s cabinet.

“House Republicans have raised serious questions for months about troubling reports involving MDHHS — including children sleeping on floors, young people being placed in unvetted out-of-state facilities, instances of welfare and Medicaid fraud, and taxpayer-funded services being extended to individuals without legal status,” said Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen) in a written statement. “Our goal has always been to work collaboratively behind the scenes to investigate these concerns, but unfortunately, we have not been able to secure the cooperation we had hoped for from the department.”

GOP members of the committee accused Hertel and the MDHHS of stonewalling their inquiries and said she has declined multiple invitations to appear. A health department spokesperson said there was a scheduling conflict, but she was not dodging the committee.

“A subpoena was not necessary to compel the director to appear before the committee,” said MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin, sharing a letter where Hertel requested an alternate date and a list of topics to be covered in her appearance. 

The director of the Michigan State Police spent an hour and a half Tuesday testifying and taking questions from lawmakers about morale in a department that appears skeptical of his leadership.

Col. James Grady II had to answer for trooper and officer surveys showing widespread dissatisfaction with his leadership. Grady told House lawmakers he does not trust the accuracy of the trooper and command officer union surveys. He said the department has its measuring tools that do not show similar results.

But, mostly, Grady said that is because he is not hearing complaints from the troopers and officers under his command.

“They tell me how happy they are with the work that they’re doing — that they’re satisfied with the work that they’re doing, that they’re satisfied with the support that they have in our agency,” he said. “So, I get it face to face because I am that type of person that will strike up a conversation with anyone.”

But Rep. Jaime Greene (R-Richmond) said it is not just the union surveys that are concerning. Committee members have been meeting with MSP staff, who she said shared in private interviews that they feared retaliation. She read some of the responses to him.

“These are from your own officers that they feel as if they are being retaliated against,” she said. “How have they come to that conclusion?”  

Grady repeated he does not believe officers under his command fear retaliation. Grady also said he doesn’t believe the Michigan State Police has a serious morale problem. The proof of that, he said, is officers showing up and doing their jobs and the reduced violent crime rate in Michigan.

But Rep. Jason Woolford (R-Howell) told Grady he should take those union survey findings seriously.

“When people lose faith in their leader, the result is a cascade of issues, and we’re seeing that,” Woolford said. “There’s low morale, poor cohesion and, at the end of the day, a mission that’s going to be compromised.”  

Both the Michigan State Police Troopers Association and the Michigan State Police Command Officers Association have called on Grady to resign.  

Grady was a 25-year veteran of the department in 2023, when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed him to the post. In a statement sent to Michigan Public Radio, Whitmer Press Secretary Stacey LaRouche said the governor remains confident in Grady.

“Thanks to the work of Colonel Grady and troopers across the state, in partnership with local law enforcement, Michigan has seen major drops in violent crime recently,” she said. “He’s also had troopers’ backs by fighting for pay raises for the men and women who risk their lives every day to keep our state safe. We have full confidence in Colonel Grady to continue getting the job done.”