LANSING, Mich. — The leader of Michigan’s Republican Party referred to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and two other top Democratic elected woman as “witches” and joked about assassination when asked how to remove two GOP congressman who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump.
Ron Weiser’s statements Thursday during a local Republican meeting, which are on video, were reported by The Detroit News on Friday.
A crowd member asked how to unseat Reps. Fred Upton and Peter Meijer. Weiser said the party was focused on defeating “three witches” — a misogynistic reference to Whitmer, state Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who are up for reelection in 2022.
Whitmer, whose coronavirus lockdown last year led armed demonstrators to protest, became the target of an alleged kidnapping plot by extremists who also talked about attacking the state Capitol and taking hostages.
Someone in the crowd asked Weiser about “witches in our own party.”
He said: “Ma’am, other than assassination, I have no other way other than voting out. OK? You people have to go out there and support their opponents. You have to do what you need to get out the vote in those areas. That’s how you beat people.”
Weiser’s spokesman, Ted Goodman, said Weiser made it clear that it is up to voters to determine GOP nominees through the primary process. He did not immediately address Weiser’s “witches” comment.
