Michigan’s Auditor General To Review Whitmer’s Covid Nursing Home Death Data
Michigan Republican legislators will not call for a forensic audit of last year’s election but they have asked for a “comprehensive study” of Whitmer’s/Michigan’s Covid Nursing Home Death numbers.
To be specific House Oversight Committee Chair Steve Johnson (R-Wayland) asked in a recent letter to the Auditor General for a:
“comprehensive study of reported and unreported deaths in long-term care facilities"
Rep. Johnson stated that he is:
"confident that the Auditor General will provide us with a more accurate picture of the deadly results of Gov. Whitmer's decision to place COVID positive patients in long-term care facilities”
The Detroit News reported that Michigan Auditor General Doug Ringler will perform some type of audit or review, at this time we are not quite sure what his office will be doing or calling it. It will all depend on how accurate the records he will be reviewing are, the availability of those records, how comprehensive his audit/review will be, the power of his office to subpoena records or testimony and his desire to use that power.
Mr. Ringler believes his office can complete the review/audit and delivery a report sometime between late September and the middle of October of this year.
Michigan Auditor General Doug Ringler wrote:
"We will be working with various departments' databases to address your concerns, which will impact the timing of our work"
The article stated that Mr. Ringler was appointed in 2014 and selected by a majority vote of lawmakers for an eight-year term.
Rep. Johnson's made a request of Michigan’s Auditor General after Michigan health Director Elizabeth Hertel testified on June 3rd that she “believed” that Michigan’s Covid related nursing home deaths were accurate.
She “believed”!
Hertel testified during that hearing that Michigan’s nursing homes “self-reported” but she did not believe that:
"nursing homes have any reason or incentive to try to hide the deaths that have occurred in their residents"
What did President Reagan say about Russia “Trust but verify”
As of last month, Whitmer/Michigan reported that 5,680 people had died of Covid or Covid related complications at Michigan nursing facilities, homes for the aged and adult foster care facilities.
This fall we may find out how accurate those numbers actually are if this audit/review is completed in a comprehensive manner.
Only time and transparency will tell.