LANSING, Mich. (WJRT) - The Michigan Attorney General’s Office has wrapped up an eight-month investigation into a contract awarded to a firm with Democrat ties for COVID-19 contact tracing.
Investigators are recommending no criminal charges be filed against anyone involved in awarding the contract, which Gov. Gretchen Whitmer later canceled when the controversy surfaced.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a 29-page report Wednesday detailing facts uncovered during the investigation and the decision not to pursue criminal charges against anyone from Whitmer’s staff.
The controversy started when Whitmer’s staff approved a contract between Great Lakes Community Engagement and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in March to train volunteers and contact people who test positive for COVID-19.
The company is owned by Mike Kolehouse, who has worked on Democrat political campaigns in the past. The contract was for about $200,000 to provide services from April through September.
The contract was awarded without a formal bid process. Concerns arose that Kolehouse might attempt to take personal information obtained while working on behalf of the state and use it for political purposes later on behalf of Democrats.
Three criminal investigators and four assistant attorneys general launched the investigation in late April at the request of Republican State Sen. Jim Runestad. They interviewed 17 people involved in the contract and review thousands of email or other documents.
“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.”
She said the “imperfect process” involved in awarding the contract mostly was due to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ hasty attempts to establish the state’s COVID-19 contract tracing program during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
Copyright 2020 WJRT. All rights reserved.
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Attorney general declines to file charges in contact tracing contract investigation - WJRT
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