‘Good will on both sides’ must stop domestic terrorism, says Gov. Whitmer - MLive.com

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for Republicans and Democrats to equally condemn “domestic terrorism,” as she appeared alongside Michigan’s Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on MSNBC Sunday night.

The trio of Democratic officials spoke with anchor Alicia Menendez on the left-leaning network’s “American Voices” about Michigan’s extremist threats over the last year, including April’s storming of the state Capitol and the attempted kidnapping of Whitmer in October.

Michigan “has been living with this” extremism “longer than the rest of the country,” Whitmer told Menendez, adding that rhetoric by President Donald Trump “incited people.”

“This whole year has been so partisan and destructive,” she said. “The partisanship around issue of wearing a mask has cost people lives. When the President tweets something like ‘Liberate Michigan,’ or an attack on our attorney general, or our secretary of state or on me, it incites people. It legitimizes actions to hurt us. That is not acceptable and it should have never been deemed acceptable.”

Trump tweeted “Liberate Michigan” in April in protest of Whitmer’s executive orders that limited public gatherings by shutting down a large percentage of businesses. She has reopened almost all businesses over the ensuing months, though restaurants are still not allowed to serve customers indoors until at least Feb. 1.

Even after armed protesters stormed the state Capitol in April, Whitmer accused Republican lawmakers other than Trump of not doing “do a darn thing” to tamp down the rhetoric.

“Now, maybe that it has been directed at them, they will,” she said. “This is a moment where I would love to see good will on both sides of the aisle -- in the private sector as well -- take this on. Domestic terrorism is not acceptable. None of us should coddle it, incite it, encourage it or legitimize it.”

Some of the examples of rhetoric that Whitmer and Democrats have cited included challenges to Biden’s win in the November election and opposition to her COVID-19 orders.

Michigan Republicans such as U.S. Reps. Peter Meijer of Grand Rapids, Fred Upton of St. Joseph and former Rep. Paul Mitchell all publicly condemned challenges to election results, with the former two also voting to impeach Trump this week.

Related: U.S. Capitol attack, Trump impeachment vote was ‘worst week of my life,’ says Congressman Peter Meijer

However, many Democrats have pointed to COVID-19 protest appearances by Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clark Lake, and former House Speaker Rep. Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, as evidence of Republican leaders allowing extreme opposition to fester.

In addition, experts told MLive last week that politicians have enflamed people who already feel like the system is stacked against them.

Related: Politicians who lied about election fraud gave extremists something to fight for, experts say

In the wake of the U.S. Capitol storming, Michigan State and Lansing police have heavily increased their presence in downtown Lansing in anticipation of armed demonstrations held by right-wing groups.

An FBI bulletin warned militant anti-government groups were organizing rallies at state capitals across the country on Jan. 17, leading to the deployment of the Michigan National Guard to secure state buildings leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Related: Heavy police presence at Michigan Capitol ahead of potential protests, threats

No more than a couple dozen armed “boogaloo boys” showed up outside the Capitol building on Sunday, dispersing with little incident.

Benson, who dealt armed protesters intimidating her family outside their home in December, said she feels safe now due to increased security measures, though she warned that vigilance is always needed.

“I feel very safe, and I know my colleagues do, as well,” Benson said. “But it’s about being vigilant, and it’s about keeping a focus on the issue that hateful words and rhetoric that we’ve heard for months now on social media networking and everywhere else has indeed transformed the possibility of hateful actions.”

One new security measure enacted by the Michigan Legislature last week was the ban of the open carry of firearms in the Capitol building, which Nessel said was not nearly enough to stop threats to lawmakers.

“All we would really need to do is to implement the very same procedures that we have had in place for decades in every single courthouse in the state of Michigan, which is simply to have metal detectors and to have either police officers or security guards who are ensuring that people are not bringing in firearms or explosive devices of any kind,” she said. “We do that when we go see the Detroit Lions play. I don’t know why we can’t have the same security procedures in place for visitors who wish to visit our Capitol.”

The Michigan Legislature will not meet next week due to “credible threats” of violence.

Through Biden’s inauguration and possibly a few days beyond that, MSP and National Guard will stay deployed to help Lansing police secure the Capitol.

Read more on MLive:

Full firearms ban at Capitol would come with $1.5 million price tag for new security measures

Police maintain ‘high state of awareness’ at Michigan Capitol through Biden’s inauguration

Armed ‘boogaloo boys’ gather at Michigan Capitol, join small group of protesters

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‘Good will on both sides’ must stop domestic terrorism, says Gov. Whitmer - MLive.com
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