No crimes found by Michigan AG on canceled partisan contact-tracing contract, but key witness mum
Updated Dec 30, 2020;
Posted Dec 30, 2020
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel speaks before Sen. Kamala Harris during a drive-in style campaign event for Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden on Sunday Oct. 25, 2020 in Pontiac. Nicole Hester/Mlive.com
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However, a key witness in the Republican-initiated inquiry has still refused to testify.
Andrea Taverna of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services led a March search for a contract-tracing firm that eventually chose Great Lakes Community Engagement and Every Action VAN. Both nonprofits are run by Democratic consultant Mike Kolehouse, whose Kolehouse Strategies, LLC assists Democratic campaigns, according to a 29-page report produced by Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office.
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Lansing Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said her office found no evidence of criminal conduct after investigating a state contract for tracking the spread of COVID-19 that involved a Democratic political consultant.
Nessel released a 29-page report Wednesday on her staff s inquiry into the agreement with Great Lakes Community Engagement, which is tied to Democratic consultant Michael Kolehouse.
However, the report noted that the Attorney General s Office was unable to interview three critical individuals, including a central figure in the arrangement, Andrea Taverna, the Department of Health and Human Services senior adviser on opioid strategy.
Taverna was in charge of developing the contact tracing program. Also, Lynn Sutfin, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, and Sarah Lyon-Callo, the state s top epidemiologist, didn t agree to interviews, according to the report.
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December 30, 2020
The investigation was requested by Sen. Jim Runestad.
The nonprofit was contracted by the state health department to perform COVID-19 contact tracing services.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel released a 29-page report on Wednesday outlining the findings of her investigative team.
Her office says it found “no evidence of criminal conduct.”
Nessel released a statement saying, “I appreciate the concern raised by Sen. Runestad but I also appreciate the reality under which this contract was pursued,” said Nessel. “With the benefit of hindsight, there may have been a better way to accomplish the Department’s ultimate purpose but we found no evidence of criminality. Instead, it appears the imperfect process used here was mainly a result of the Department’s attempt to get a contact-tracing program underway as quickly as possible in light of the dire public health crisis.”