LANSING (WXYZ) — The latest protest in Lansing on Saturday has people with the same goals on the conservative Republican side of politics pushing to impeach Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after her latest COVID lockdown orders.
Mike Detmer calls himself "Michigan Patriot" and says he has more than a million followers on social media. He tells 7 Action News a growing number of people are calling on the elected Republicans who control the Michigan House and Senate to start the process with only 46 days left in this session.
“What our governor has done is inconceivable,” Detmer said. He was among thousands who protested in Lansing on Saturday that focused on the Michigan election results that show Trump lost to Biden as well as Gov. Whitmer.
Yesterday, after the governor announced sweeping new restrictions without input from legislators, State Rep. Matt Maddock posted on social media that impeachment proceedings must be started.
But Detmer says, “Is it a dog and pony show? That’s what a lot of people are asking. On my social media feeds, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Parlor, I reach almost 2 million people a month. And that is the consensus from a lot of conservatives here in the state.”
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On his Facebook live Monday morning, Detmer urged small business owners to follow the lead of Owosso barber Karl Manke who defied the first Whitmer lockdown and kept his barbershop open. Detmer said business owners now should stay open and ignore any enforcement action from the state. Federal assistance has not been approved by Congress as it was last spring and many small businesses forced to shut down could go out of business permanently.
Detmer says Republican Legislative leaders need to listen to the crowd that gathered in Lansing adding, “that’s what the message is from the people going to these rallies and saying look, we’re watching. We’re not asleep at the wheel anymore.”
Gov. Whitmer on 7 Action News This Morning brushed off talk about impeachment saying, “Unfortunately, while we’ve done a lot of outreach with the Michigan Legislature, Republican leaders have shown very little seriousness around this issue. They’re on a paid hunting break from now until December.”
“Yeah, that’s a good point,” Detmer responded adding about legislators. “My question I put this out publicly, do they have the will to do it?”
We asked the spokesman for Michigan House Republicans if any action has been set to start impeachment and have not heard back.