Group aiming to sabotage Whitmer’s Covid policies funded by dark money
GuardianJan 10, 2023
A previously undisclosed non-profit linked to the utility company DTE Energy — Michigan's largest energy utility — reportedly funded the group behind the effort to repeal Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's COVID lockdowns and restrictions, known as Unlock Michigan.
Records from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) show the non-profit donated $100k in 2020 via another dark money non-profit that was reportedly the primary funder of the group.
In an effort to protect its bottom line and shareholders, DTE irresponsibly joined the revolt against Michigan's COVID measures, undermining the state's safety protocols and calling attention to the need to regulate the monopoly utility's political spending. However, despite the opposition, Gov. Whitmer's COVID policies saved thousands of lives.
The funder behind the anti-lockdown movement is completely irrelevant given the fact Gov. Whitmer's policies never actually worked. Michigan had higher COVID death rates than its Midwestern counterparts despite having implemented far harsher restrictions. And lest we forget about her nursing home debacle, which led to one of the nation's worst death rates among the elderly.