State Investigating Livingston Co. Sheriff Over Trump Visit
August 23, 2024
Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com
A spokesperson for the Michigan Department of State confirms election officials are investigating allegations that Livingston County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Mike Murphy violated state campaign finance law when hosting Donald Trump this week.
"If somebody has an issue, they just need to contact the Michigan Secretary of State. They're the ones that investigate campaign finance laws," Sheriff Murphy told WHMI News.
"Obviously, if I'm found in violation, I'll pay the fine or whatever the case is and we'll move on. I certainly wouldn't have done it if I thought it was a violation. I don't believe it is a violation."
The former president spoke Tuesday in a Livingston County Sheriff’s Office garage, backed by Murphy and other Michigan sheriffs, along with sheriff’s department vehicles.
The Trump campaign event so far sparked two campaign finance complaints against Murphy and his office, according to Angela Benander, a spokesperson for the Department of State.
The probe was first reported by Detroit Metro Times.
The Michigan Campaign Finance Act holds that a "public body or a person acting for a public body shall not use or authorize the use of funds, personnel, office space, computer hardware or software, property, stationery, postage, vehicles, equipment, supplies, or other public resources" to support political candidates.
Back in 2018, the state determined Sheriff Murphy broke the law after appearing in uniform with a department vehicle in a 2018 gubernatorial campaign video for Republican Bill Schuette.
Murphy paid $100 to the state and another $100 to the county as a reimbursement in order to settle the matter in 2019.
"The difference with that was the view from the Secretary of State was that vehicle was taken out of service. And that commercial was also shot in Oakland County, about five miles or less outside the border of our county, but it doesn't make a difffernce. That was the reason," Murphy said.
"The uniform is a non-started. That's been shown many, many times over that there's no campaign finance violation there."
Sheriff Murphy pointed out Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson was in full uniform on stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.