Michigan County Board Supports Impeaching Democratic Governor Whitmer

Members of the Kalkaska County, Michigan Board of Commissioners voted Friday to introduce a resolution that would call for the impeachment of Democratic state Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Amid a surge of positive coronavirus cases in Michigan, Whitmer announced a round of coronavirus mitigation protocols. Whitmer's COVID-19 policies have been denounced by some members of the GOP as being too strict. The Kalkaska County resolution is expected to be passed on to the state legislature.

Kalkaska County Commissioner David Comai said Friday that executive orders signed by Whitmer were "unconstitutional" and "the primary cause of the economic crisis Kalkaska County is experiencing," according to reporting from WPBN/WGTU.

Calls for Whitmer's impeachment have drawn both positive and negative responses from members of Michigan's GOP. Republican Matt Maddock of the Michigan House of Representatives thanked legislators who were involved.

"Michiganders have been beaten down for too long," Maddock tweeted in November. "Restaurants losing dine-in customers watching their life's work circle the drains. Thank you to my fellow legislators who are calling for impeachment hearings of @GovWhitmer #FreeMichigan #ImpeachWhitmer #MILEG @realDonaldTrump."

Michigan Republican Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield criticized the resolution in a Wednesday statement.

"We're not the party that impeaches someone because we're upset with policies that they've enacted," Chatfield said. "I thought it was shameful what the Democrats did to President Trump last year and I would assume that any attempt by Republicans right now, with the current set of facts that we have to impeach the governor, would be on the same level."

Other Michigan residents are calling for Whitmer to be removed from office. A petition calling for Whitmer's impeachment on Change.org has received over 7,800 signatures as of Monday. The petition states that Whitmer's refusal to allow doctors to use chloroquine as a coronavirus treatment made Whitmer "more than incompetent, she is deadly and who knows how many lives have been lost due to her ignorance."

Newsweek reached out to Whitmer's office for comment.

Data released by the State of Michigan on Monday showed a two-day increase of 11,511 new COVID-19 cases with 65 fatalities attributable to the disease over the same time frame. In total, Michigan has reported 314,216 positive coronavirus cases and 8,543 COVID-19 deaths since March.

Under the new restrictions, Michigan residents are required to work from home, if possible. All college and high-school classes were expected to be remotely conducted. Indoor dining was prohibited in bars and restaurants while movie theaters, casinos and stadiums remained closed. The restrictions are expected to remain in place until December 8.

During a November news briefing, Whitmer indicated more restrictions could be on the way if Michigan's coronavirus positivity rate remains high.

"My hope is that everyone makes smart choices to keep yourself and your loved ones and our frontline workers and our community safe," Whitmer said. "I hope they will double down so we can avoid a stay-home order."