Michigan Democratic Party chair Lon Johnson hosted a presser at the state party headquarters yesterday alleging that emails uncovered by their Freedom of Information Act request shows possible lobbying by NERD Fund head Rich Baird. Communications between former budget director John Nixon and Baird suggest the latter asked Nixon to intervene on behalf of Governor Rick Snyder’s cousin George’s DBI Furniture Company of Lansing. In this video, MDP’s Johnson and legal counsel Andrew Nickelhoff explain what they found and discuss the letter sent to U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles urging further investigation of the activities of the NERD fund and whether the fund’s director illegally engaged in lobbying without securing an appropriate license.
Lon Johnson, Chair, Michigan Democratic Party
