Michigan state representative Karen Whitsett has filed a lawsuit against Governor Whitmer and fellow Democrats for censuring her.
Whitsett was censured for meeting with President Trump at the White House and for saying kind words about the president.
When Whitsett contracted COVID-19 and began going downhill, she began taking hydroxychloroquine after hearing President Trump tout its potential benefits.
She credits hydroxychloroquine — and therefore President Trump — for saving her life.
But Democrats in Michigan weren't happy.
They accused Whitsett of undermining the Democratic party in an election year, so they voted to censure her.
Well, Whitsett isn't having any of it!
She is officially fighting back by filing a lawsuit against Michigan Governor Whitmer as well as her fellow Democrats!
More details on the dramatic lawsuit below:
In her lawsuit, Whitsett claims that Govenor Whitmer as well as Michigan's Democratic party punished her for exercising her right to free speech.
She publicly thanked the president for saving her life after battling COVID-19.
That should be good news to her Democratic colleagues! But instead, they voted to censure her for saying something nice about President Trump.
Michigan Live has more details on Whitsett's lawsuit against Governor Whitmer:
State Rep. Karen Whitsett, D-Detroit, filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and several fellow Democrats, claiming violations of free speech and defamation.
Specifically, Whitsett claimed Whitmer and the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Organization sought to deprive her of her right to engage in protected speech after she publicly thanked President Donald Trump for his suggestion of using the drug hydroxychloroquine to treat her coronavirus case.Whitsett contracted the virus in March and has been open about her appreciation for the president’s suggestion, which she says saved her life. While it remains unproven that hydroxychloroquine can effectively treat COVID-19, it is used to prevent malaria and to treat rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and complications of Lyme disease. Whitsett suffers from Lyme disease, and was aware hydroxychloroquine can be used to treat that disease, but didn’t know until the president mentioned it that it was being testing for use against COVID-19.
As a result, Whitsett was invited to The White House to meet with Trump on April 14. During that meeting, she again thanked Trump for the suggestion and said her condition went “from 0 to 100” after she began taking the drug.
Following that meeting, Whitsett began receiving criticism for her public statements and was eventually censured by the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Organization. The organization took exception to her comments on the drug and the outbreak, saying they painted a picture that isn’t true and spreads misinformation.
Chris McClain, a precinct delegate for the organization who wrote the censure resolution, explained the decision to MLive last month, prior to censure vote.
“Her individual circumstance does not apply to everyone," McClain said. “She misrepresented a lot of the priorities and needs here of the community when she went to go meet with the president.”
[...]McClain, who is not named in the lawsuit went on to say: “Our leaders have a platform and they shouldn’t use that platform to spread misinformation or play with the health and safety of the people that live here.”
Whitsett and her attorneys Norman Yatooma and Christine L. Constantino, Jr. claim the political organization worked to silence her free speech. At Whitmer’s prompting, the lawsuit alleges, the organization passed the resolution that bars Whitsett from holding any position or committee membership within the group. The censure also meant the organization would not endorse her in future elections, the lawsuit says.
As a result of the censure, Whitsett says she has been “ousted” by the party, and the defendants continue to hinder her ability to do her job. An example, the lawsuit claims Whitsett arranged for 388,680 meals to be delivered to her constituents in Detroit, and the defendants refused to allow her the help of the Michigan Army National Guard to distribute the meals as previously arranged.
While Democrats should be working with President Trump to protect American lives and livelihoods, it is clear that they're priority is attempting to win elections this November.
President Trump, on the other hand, has put campaigning aside so that he can focus on strongly leading this nation through a time of unprecedented crisis.
Trump's decisive actions have saved untold tens of thousands of lives while setting the stage for the economy to recover faster than anyone could have predicted.
Fortunately, Karen Whitsett survived COVID-19 thanks to President Trump.
Instead of celebrating her recovery, Michigan Democrats punished her for going to the White House.
Whitsett has made it very clear that she will continue to work with President Trump as well as ANY leader as long as they are working to improve the lives of Michiganders.
Isn't that what our politicians should do?
Working together to achieve a common goal is not a new concept!
Thank you, Karen Whitsett, for being an example to fellow democrats of what bipartisanship should look like!
Fox News has more details on Whitsett's fight against her censure:
As long as there are residents in the state of Michigan who need help and who need a voice, Democratic State Representative Karen Whitsett promised Saturday that she will not be silenced.
In an interview on "Fox & Friends Weekend" with host Pete Hegseth, Whitsett explained that she would also continue to work with President Trump and any president who extended a hand her way to ensure what's done in her state needs to be done.
On Saturday, a group called the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Organization will consider censuring Whitsett for foregoing the status quo and meeting with President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to discuss her experience recovering from coronavirus, The Detroit News reported.
The admonition means she will not get the group’s endorsement for this year nor will she be able to engage in the group’s activities for the next two election cycles.
“At the end of the day, we have political systems,” said Jonathan Kinloch, chairman of the organization. “We have political parties, and political parties exist for a reason."
"There is so much more to this story and it's shameful, actually, of the Democratic Party," Whitsett stated. 13 congressional leaders -- Jonathan Kinloch who also works for Governor Gretchen Whitmer...and I believe this is the governor -- [have] decided that [they are] going to slap me on the wrist by silencing me. And, it's a shame that she's doing this. It's politics at its [worst]."
"In a time like this during a pandemic when she should be focusing on the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan, this is what she's focusing on: trying to silence me," Whitsett added. "I guess this is teaching me to be in my place and that's not going to stop me."
Hydroxychloroquine is a treatment President Trump has frequently supported during White House news briefings.
President Trump has encouraged Whitsett to become a Republican.
Though she claims she will stay a Democratic, we appreciate her willingness to work with President Trump for the good of the American people.
There are many Reagan Democrats.
There's no reason there can't be "Trump Democrats" as well!
But after the abuse she's received from the Democrats, we wouldn't blame her for changing her party affiliation.
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