Despite not holding any “large, public” campaign events since September, James Craig has managed to spend “nearly $34,000” on “executive protection services” according to a new report by MLive. Seasoned political operatives have described the nearly $1,000-a-day expense as an “unusual use of donor dollars.”
The company Craig’s campaign is contracting with – Shield Security Consultants and Protection Services – has both a personal connection to Craig and coincidental timeline. Owner Mark A. Oliver formerly worked at Detroit Police Department during Craig’s chief tenure. Additionally Shield Security got licensed to operate “a day after the Craig campaign made its first payment to the company.”
This raises the following questions for James Craig to answer immediately:
- Is James Craig holding any open public events?
- Was Shield Security Consultants set up solely to receive payments from James Craig’s campaign?
- When did Mark Oliver receive approval to take leave from DPD?
- Who signed off on the necessary DPD authorization to allow Mark Oliver to serve as Craig’s private security for the campaign?
- Were James Craig and Mark Oliver preparing Shield Security’s LLC while they were still employed by DPD?
