This morning, MDP filed Freedom of Information Act requests with both the City of Detroit’s Law Department and the University of Michigan’s FOIA office to uncover how James Craig “scored a seat” as a paid board member of Palltronics – a company headquartered in Florida. The requests target Craig’s correspondence with the political insiders behind his campaign – leadership of the Michigan GOP and the Republican Governors Association.
The director who recruited Craig to the company remains personally “entangled in a legal fight” over allegations he misused a multi-million dollar loan for a previous iteration of Palltronics from Grow Michigan, a Michigan taxpayer-funded investment fund.
A recent report from The Detroit News detailed that Craig’s campaign “declined to directly answer” both how much he has been compensated for the position or if he has assumed similar roles for other businesses since deciding to run for office.
This comes on top of the revelation that Craig launched a paid speaking company shortly before announcing his retirement in May. Both of these financial endeavors – which have nothing to do with bettering Michigan families – stand against a backdrop of the “relatively quiet” campaign schedule Craig has kept since declaring his candidacy in July.
MDP spokesperson Rodericka Applewhaite issued the following statement:
“Counting his paid speaking company, this paid board placement marks the second time James Craig has refused to be transparent with Michiganders about what corporations and special interest groups are lining his pockets. We’re filing this FOIA because we know it’s the only way Michiganders will get any answers out of Craig, his campaign, or any of the MIGOP insiders moving heaven and earth to prop up his disastrous and clunky gubernatorial run. James Craig prioritizes the companies and groups that cut him checks over the Michigan families he’s running to represent.”
