In April 2020, the Whitmer administration agreed to give Kolehouse Strategies, a company known for working on Democrat political campaigns, a contract to perform contact-tracing on coronavirus patients.
Nessel issued a report between Christmas and New Year’s, eight months later, after opening a review when state Sen. Jim Runestad (R) requested a “criminal” — a word italicized in the report — investigation into the deal.
“I appreciate the concern raised by Sen. Runestad but I also appreciate the reality under which this contract was pursued,” Nessel said, Mlive reported.
According to the report, the attorney general did not conduct an “in-depth analysis of the State Ethics laws.”
But the report claimed a “quick review” of the State Ethic Act found nothing wrong, either.
The report acknowledged the agreement, originally made with Kolehouse Strategies, was changed to an obscure entity known as Great Lakes Community Engagement.
That was done after Zack Pohl, Communications Director for the Governor’s Office, determined that “using politically involved entities may be a distraction,” the report said.
Kolehouse was identified by Michael Edward Duggan, Jr., a Whitmer administration employee and the son of the Detroit mayor.
“Mr. Mike Kolehouse was the only name provided to Ms. Taverna by Mr. Ed Duggan,” according to the report. Andrea Tavera was tasked with finding a contractor.
Duggan later left the administration to join President-elect Joe Biden’s Michigan campaign operation.
Breitbart News later found the contract, worth $194,250, was to pay 400 activists to collect medical information from virus patients.