Gov. Rick Snyder
Gov. Rick Snyder
On Wednesday, Michigan filmmaker Michael Moore tweeted: "Michigan Attorney General fails to arrest Michigan's governor for poisoning the people of Flint. Governor's hack appointees were indicted."
The tweet comes after Bill Schuette charged Michigan Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon and four other former Flint and state officials with involuntary manslaughter for failing to alert the public about an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the Flint area.
At a press conference Wednesday, Schuette addressed concerns by some that Snyder was not among those charged, Leonard N. Fleming and Jonathan Oosting write in The Detroit News.
“I know a question I will get today is: 'Why aren’t you charging Gov. Snyder?' I've met with people, angry, frustrated, demanding that I charge,” the attorney general said. “And I’ve heard from several who believe that I've been too harsh on the Snyder administration. Well, so be it.”
He said no “crime has been established” and “we’re not filing charges at this time.”
Investigators tried unsuccessfully to interview Snyder, according to the attorney general.
Snyder is willing to testify under oath and had scheduled a time and date for an interview, says Snyder counsel Brian Lennon said. But Special Counsel Todd Flood failed to produce an investigative subpoena that had been promised, Lennon adds.
“The Governor testified under oath before Congress and has always been willing to talk with the Office of Special Counsel under oath like every other witness so there is no appearance of special treatment,” Lennon said in a Wednesday statement
Related column in Detroit Free Press:
Rochelle Riley: Should Snyder be next to face charges in Flint water crisis?
