REP. NEIL FRISKE RELEASED FROM LANSING JAIL FRIDAY
Rep. Neil Friske was freed from jail on Friday as an investigation into assault and weapons allegations continues with his attorney claiming his client will be vindicated.

Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane asked Lansing police to continue their investigation following its request for prosecutors to issue warrants charging Friske (R-Charlevoix) for felony sexual assault, felony assault and a felony weapons offense. No charges have been issued so far.

Friske was arrested by Lansing police early Thursday. Information was initially scarce, with a Lansing police spokesperson confirming only that Friske, 62, was arrested around 2:45 a.m. near the 2100 block of Forest Road following a report of a male with a gun and possible shots fired. That’s on Lansing’s east side, not far from the border with East Lansing.

On Friday, information in the Department of State Police iCHAT database showed felony warrants had been requested against Friske. The information in the State Police background check database did not offer more specifics on the charges.

By Friday morning, it remained unclear whether Dewane would press charges, but later noted he kicked the investigation back to Lansing police.

"During the course of the initial investigation, law enforcement officers learned of a possible sexual assault of an adult female, and they arrested a 62-year-old male, Kornelius Friske," Dewane said in a statement. "The Lansing Police Department submitted a warrant request to our office on June 21, 2024, after a review of the initial investigation, I have asked the Lansing Police Department to continue their investigation. Our office will continue to work in coordination with law enforcement on this matter."

Edwar Zeineh, Friske’s attorney, told Gongwer News Service that he looked forward to "the accurate facts vindicating" his client.

"Representative Friske has faith in God, America’s Constitution, and the right it affords to citizens, including due process, presumption of innocence, and the right to counsel," Zeineh said.

Friske did not respond to questions from reporters as he left the Ingham County Jail in downtown Lansing on Friday afternoon.

Friske was arrested under his formal name, Kornelius Wolfram Friske. He is one of the more conservative members of the House and a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus.

A message seeking comment from House Minority Leader Matt Hall was not returned.

He was arrested at 2:45 a.m. on Thursday. At 3:25 a.m., he posted two items to X, formerly known as Twitter, complaining about RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) and claiming his Republican opponent, Parker Fairbairn, of Harbor Springs, would work with Democrats.

The same post was published on his campaign’s Facebook page.

Fellow Freedom Caucus member Rep. Matt Maddock (R-Milford), in a comment under that post, blamed Friske’s current legal matters on "the Lansing lobby machine and the special interest swamp," which he claimed was working to support Fairbairn.

"It needs him badly. If we win back majority, it may be by only one or two votes. State Representative Neil Friske votes our values 100 percent," Maddock wrote. "The Lansing Lassie will be working against Neil and our values in Lansing just as he is today. Don’t get fooled by the big endorsements. The big money is not on our side. Neil is. And he’s proven it with his conservative voting record. It’s even better than mine."

Rep. Laurie Pohutsky (D-Livonia), chair of the Progressive Women’s Caucus, said the allegations against Friske "follow a disturbing pattern of violence against women by Republicans."

"Not only is the party’s platform a direct assault on the rights of women, but Michigan Republicans have also been accused of domestic violence, and recent media reports allege that one now faces charges of physical and sexual assault," Pohutsky said in a statement. "Even more disturbing is the deafening silence from Republican leaders who have failed to denounce the alleged actions of their colleagues.


NESSEL: SCOTUS DECISION IN GUN CASE BODES WELL FOR MICHIGAN LAWS
Michigan’s gun laws should survive any legal challenge following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in United States v. Rahimi, Attorney General Dana Nessel said during a virtual press conference on Friday.

The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the constitutionality of a federal law banning the possession of a gun by someone who has been the subject of a domestic violence restraining order. In an 8-1 opinion, the court held that when an individual has been found by a court to pose a credible threat to the safety of another, that individual can be temporarily disarmed consistent with the Second Amendment.

"Thankfully, common sense prevailed on this matter," Nessel said. "This is a victory for crime victims and survivors everywhere, but no more so than the estimated 4.5 million women who have been threatened by an intimate partner with a gun, as with all those who are at higher risk of gun violence, including Black and indigenous women, women who are under 20, women who are pregnant or have disabilities and also members of the LGBTQ community."

Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, explained that "[s]ince the founding, our Nation’s firearm laws have included provisions preventing individuals who threaten physical harm to others from misusing firearms. As applied to the facts of this case, Section 922(g)(8) fits comfortably within this tradition."

This decision follows the Court’s 2022 decision, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, which held that restrictions on firearms must be "consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation."

Justice Clarence Thomas was the sole dissenting opinion.

Gun groups have voiced optimism that the conservative U.S. Supreme Court majority might strike down some of the new gun laws enacted in Michigan based on the Bruen standard.

Michigan’s extreme risk protection order laws, or red flag laws, were modeled after the federal law at issue in the Rahimi case, and Nessel said the Supreme Court decision confirms the constitutionality of the state’s law.

"I’m grateful for the court’s opinion on the matter," she said. "I look forward to continuing to work with Governor Whitmer and the Legislature to continue to protect Michigan residents from gun violence."

Rahimi was barred by a local Texas court from harassing, stalking, or threatening his ex-girlfriend, and from possessing a firearm through a civil protection order. Afterward, Rahimi was involved in several shootings over the course of just a few months. He was charged in federal court under 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(8), which prohibits the possession of firearms by persons subject to a domestic violence restraining order. Rahimi admitted to possessing multiple firearms, but claimed the law was unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.

Nessel went on to say that the Supreme Court’s decision in the Rahimi case upheld the constitutionality of many of Michigan’s new gun safety laws, including extreme risk protections orders, safe and secure storage, universal background check and the prohibition on those who have been convicted of a domestic violence offense from owning or purchasing a gun for eight years.

"We can say that it’s very likely in the event that we saw a challenge to our ERPA statute that it would be upheld. Similarly, that would probably be true with those other laws as well," she said.

There aren’t any current challenges to Michigan’s new laws, Nessel said.

The Rahimi case upholds and updates the national relationship with firearms, Solicitor General Ann Sherman said.

"What we know from Rahimi is that we’re not just looking at founding era laws to try to find some twin law, some identical law," she said. "We don’t have laws from the 1700s, a pack of laws, that are really directed at domestic violence. But what we do have is a concern, dating back historically to protection of others, and when something is a credible threat, we can have a temporary disarmament that’s something we know historically is relevantly similar, and that was what the court used as their language."

Nessel said that the Rahimi decision makes it clear that the right to bear arms is not unlimited.

"Common sense gun laws are consistent with the Second Amendment," she said.

Nessel talked about the need to educate law enforcement and the public on Michigan’s new gun laws.

"The governor just set up a commission yesterday to address gun violence, and I think that part of that was making sure that there was some collaboration between agencies all over the state of Michigan to find the best policies and practices," she said. "That’s incredibly important– finding new and better ways to make sure that these laws are enforced in such a way to protect the public."

In the last month, the state has granted 62 extreme risk protection orders, Nessel said.

"We don’t have to live the way we’ve been living," she said. "We’ve seen, of course, some really serious gun violence episodes in Michigan, and what I’m finding as I travel all over the state is that a lot of people just don’t have the awareness yet of what these new laws are."

The Supreme Court’s decision means that Michigan’s law will be upheld, and lives will be saved, Nessel said.

"We’re talking about not just the prevention of homicides, but suicides as well," she said. "The more that we’re out there, educating people about these laws, the more lives that we’re going to save."

TOBACCO FREE ADVOCATES WANT STATE LICENSING
Keep MI Kids Tobacco Free Alliance went after tobacco sellers in their testimony before the Senate Regulatory Affairs Committee this week, claiming stores are blatantly selling vape cartridges and other products through in-store displays.

Alliance members said gas stations around the state were selling federally banned flavored vape liquid, showing vaping devices marketed to teens through cartoon characters, and made claims of many Detroit gas stations selling tobacco to minors. They told the Senators that a new state licensing scheme was needed.

“I’m burning with rage about a lot of things here,” said Sen. Dayna Polehnaki (D-Livonia).

Polehanki pointed to a picture the advocates brought to the Binsfeld Building on Thursday and said it looked like a normal party store that was selling the flavored vape liquid.

“There has to be something that they don’t know. They’re not going to risk everything to set this up,” she said.

She was gobsmacked that there was no state enforcement against anyone selling the vape liquid. 

Detroit Wayne Oakland Tobacco Free Coalition Chair Minou Jones said the group she works with does vendor education through going to the stores and talking with them. She said there was no accountability for the stores other than a $50 fine for the clerk.

The Alliance had several vape devices on display it said were purchased from gas stations and convenience stores in Michigan.

“We don’t have tobacco resale licensing, and no one is going into those stores to police them or monitor whether they are in compliance or not,” Jones said.

Jones was advocating for 
SB 651, which would require a license to sell nicotine or tobacco products in the state of Michigan. SB 647, 
SB 648, SB 649, SB 650, SB 652, SB 653, and SB 654 are all part of the tobacco package. 

Michigan Petroleum Association-Michigan Association of Convenience Stores Vice President Bob Cleary said the Food and Drug Administration has not done a good job with enforcement of flavored electronic cigarettes and tobacco.

“For retailers, most really don’t understand what they can and cannot sell, and it’s tough when competitors are doing it. You’ve got to decide,” Cleary said.

He said not every store was selling everything. He said what the vendors want to know is what can be sold and making sure everything is enforced equally.

He made the suggestion of creating a list of products in a directory that is then enforced by the state, instead of relying on enforcement and guidance from the federal government.

Cleary said the cartoon vape rigs, however, were in another ballpark. 

“The flavor stuff is hard to really determine what’s legal and what’s not sometimes, but that stuff that’s a different ball game,” he said. 

He said he isn’t aware of any stores in Michigan selling those types of devices and said it was the first time he had seen such devices for sale.

“I was a little taken back by it,” he said.

Cleary said when it comes to licensure of tobacco, that it wasn’t going to solve all the problems. He pointed to a pamphlet released by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services that most minors get tobacco or tobacco products from social sources, not directly from the stores.

“Kids are getting it from other kids, older kids, brothers and sisters, and even in a lot of cases – which just blew my mind – from their parent. So there’s a push in the industry to kind of be on the lookout for if that’s happening in their stores,” he said.

He said they were looking for a fair solution, but he said the state already had to have some idea of who was selling what, because of the $800 million in taxes that was collected on tobacco products.

“Hopefully this is not a money grab, but it kind of felt like that at the start,” he said.

Cleary also said bans were never a good way to control a product, because if there was a demand there would always end up being a black market for that product.

He said he could see a black market emerging for menthol cigarettes if the state banned their sale under the package.

“I think for us, it’s just more what is that fair and equitable solution to this that actually works and doesn’t drive more sales across the border or to the black market, which is what we’ve seen in other states that do this,” Cleary said.


DCD OUT AND ABOUT:

Jake German was happy to be out recently supporting Senator Mike Webber at an event in Warren and catching up with his Hillsdale College friend Representative Andrew Fink at an event where he spoke about his campaign for Michigan Supreme Court.

Senator Mat recently attended an event in support of Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel, where he was happy to run into his friend Senator Jeremy Moss and others.


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