Two attorneys general known for attacking high profile Republicans joined forces in Michigan over the weekend to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats.
“We all need to step outside our comfort zones to support pro-democracy and pro-choice candidates in this crucial election,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel posted to X on Saturday. “Whether it’s phone banking, knocking on doors, or writing postcards, every effort counts.
“Thank you @DistillSocial for having AG @TishJames and I!” the post read.
We all need to step outside our comfort zones to support pro-democracy and pro-choice candidates in this crucial election. Whether it's phone banking, knocking on doors, or writing postcards, every effort counts.
Thank you to @DistillSocial for having AG @TishJames and I! pic.twitter.com/XV6r5Cd2Ua
— Dana Nessel (@dananessel) October 5, 2024
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The stop in Southfield was among others with New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led a civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization that continues on appeal.
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That case started with a promise from James during her 2018 campaign for AG to investigate the 45th POTUS.
“I will never be afraid to challenge this illegitimate president,” James said in a campaign video. “I believe that this president is incompetent. I believe that this president is ill-equipped to serve in the highest office of this land. And I believe that he is an embarrassment to all that we stand for.”
Letitia James has won the Democratic primary for NY attorney general. If elected in November, she’ll be the first Black attorney general in NY history. She has promised to reform NY’s criminal justice system and to investigate and prosecute Trump’s family businesses. pic.twitter.com/M8UMHJQuIN
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) September 14, 2018
James and Nessel focused on abortion at Oakland County Democrats’ get out the vote rally in Southfield, urging attendees to “support reproductive rights this November!”
Michigan voters approved no-limits abortion by passing Proposal 3 in 2022.
At a separate event featuring Nevada Democratic U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Nessel and James turn their focus to Black men.
“.@KamalaHarris is the leader we need in this moment,” Nessel posted to X, along with pictures of the duo posing with Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Horsford. “@TishJames and I joined @Garlin, Nevada Congressman @StevenHorsford, and a number of community leaders to discuss how a Harris-Walz administration will help every American – especially black men.”
Ironically, Horsford last month introduced legislation that mirrors Trump’s “No Tax on Tips” proposal, offering income relief to tipped workers to earn less than $112,500 a year, according to the New York Post.
The campaign stops also come as both Nessel and James continue legal attacks on Republicans in both New York and Michigan.
James remains embroiled in her civil case against Trump, which resulted in a $454 million judgement that the former president has appealed to the New York Supreme Court. A hearing on the case was held on Sept. 26, though a decision in the case is not expected until after the election.
Nessel, meanwhile, is pursuing charges against at least 20 Republicans ahead of the November election.
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Those prosecutions involve 16 high-level Michigan Republicans who backed Trump in 2020, over what Nessel described as “overwhelming evidence of an organized effort to circumvent the lawfully cast ballots of millions of Michigan voters in a presidential election.”
But when it came time to present that “overwhelming evidence” in court, Nessel’s top investigator, Howard Shock, stumbled over the details, prompting questions from the defense about the true motivations behind the case.
“Where’s the evidence of any intent that anybody had to commit a crime?” defense lawyer John Freeman asked during the proceedings.
“It’s all wishful thinking,” he said. “It’s a politically motivated witch hunt that has no basis in evidence.”
Even the judge in the case, Kristen Simmons, was forced to acknowledge “glaring” concerns with the prosecution.
“I can understand why the questions are now steering to how this investigation went about because if you’re not presenting your investigation well, we now need to understand what happened during the investigation,” Simmons aid.
Other Republicans targeted by Nessel include fundraising consultants Heather Lombardini and Sandy Baxter, whom the AG alleges failed to properly disclose money raised to oppose Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s unilateral edicts during the pandemic, which courts later ruled unconstitutional.
There’s also Robert and Anne Minard, two high-ranking aides to former Republican Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, who faces allegations of embezzlement.
Nessel has described the Menards as “hired guns” for Republicans who “knowingly, willfully and overtly violated the law.”
Whether the facts in the case will support the claims is unclear, though Nessel has a history of promoting misinformation, particularly when campaigning for Democrats.
Just last month, Nessel posted to X that “if Trump gets another term, he will enact his Project 2025 national abortion ban,” along with pictures of her campaigning at a Lansing stop for Democrats’ “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom Tour.”
Nessel previously made similar comments during campaign stops at a press conference with the Human Rights Campaign in June, and while campaigning for Democrats at a Lansing coffee shop the month prior.
Trump made it clear in April his stance on abortion is “all about the will of the people.”
“My view is … the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state. Many states will be different, many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be. At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people,” Trump said in a video posted to Truth Social. “You must follow your heart or, in many cases, your religion or your faith. Do what’s right for your family and do what’s right for yourself … do what’s right for our country.”