Rogers “left the state about as quick as he could when he was going to go collect his payday” to walk through the revolving door, now has a “net worth of up to $12.1 million.”
LANSING — Mike Rogers’ priorities: enriching himself and his wealthy special interest backers and hanging out with his bestie Billionaire Betsy DeVos as she reiterates her commitment to gut public schools. Know what didn’t make the cut? Doing anything to help working families or protect our fundamental freedoms. Guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that people are calling Rogers “an utter embarrassment.”
Here’s the latest on Revolving Door Rogers’ rough week:
- Motion sickness warning (from spinning through the revolving door). National Journal detailed how Revolving Door Rogers has a “net worth of up to $12.1 million,” as he faces more “criticism” for enriching his work with Nokia that “conducted business with Chinese tech company Huawei.”
- Just two BFFs who want to “destroy public schools.” Rogers stood with Billionaire Betsy DeVos as she renewed her commitment to gut public schools. They are both strong proponents of the DeVos plan to gut public school funding in Michigan by $500 million.
- Sterling Heights councilman Mike Radtke bashed Rogers who “left the state about as quick as he could when he was going to go collect his payday.” Radtke made it clear, “the folks in Michigan aren’t going to be buying what Rogers is selling.”
- Florida Man Rogers. The Michigan Advance noted that after Congress, Rogers “amassed personal wealth working for giant telecommunications companies like AT&T and Nokia,” and “moved into a 4,751-square-foot home in Cape Coral, Florida, valued at $1.7 million” that “was his official residence until his decision to run for U.S. Senate last year.”
- Wednesday’s anniversary of the Social Security Act being signed into law is a stark reminder that Mike Rogers wants to rip away benefits from Michigan seniors and spike costs by slashing Social Security and Medicare.
- Political scientist Norman Ornstein summed up Rogers in three words – “an utter embarrassment.”
See for yourself:
National Journal: Who’s the wealthiest Senate candidate?
- Rogers and his wife reported a net worth of up to $12.1 million, with up to $1.3 million in income reported from their assets. Their assets are primarily held in bank accounts, private stocks, and mutual funds.
- Rogers reported a total of $488,000 in earned income across multiple positions. He reported $240,000 from work as a risk analyst with the telecommunications company Nokia Corporation.
- Rogers faced criticism for his tough on China messaging because Nokia conducted business with Chinese tech company Huawei until January.
- He earned $95,000 in his current role as director of nonprofit Mitre Corporation and a combined $163,000 as the former director of both Worldwide Services Inc and D-Wave Quantum. He reported a combined $48,700 serving on the boards for Highland Engineering and Spanish company Telefonica Ingenieria Y Seguridad.
- Rogers reported $34,600 in retirement from the state, while his wife reported three roles in which she earned more than $1,000.
Detroit News: Insider: Betsy DeVos open to serving in 2nd Trump administration
- DeVos said after speaking at an event for Mike Rogers’ campaign for U.S. Senate in Grand Blanc Township.
- “…I would want to [serve in a second Trump administration] so only if it was with the goal of phasing out the Department of Education as we tried to do through budgetary process in the first administration.”
Michigan Advance: Slotkin and Rogers will need some independent ‘Friends’ to make the general election pivot
- Radtke said he thinks that will be a much steeper hill to climb for Rogers.
- “I’ll be frank with you. I’m a highly connected individual, and I have no clue what Mike Rogers is running for,” he said.
- So in my opinion, I think he’s going to have a lot of trouble, and I think he’s going to be in fundraising trouble.”
- After Rogers retired from Congress in 2015, he went into the private sector as a cyber security adviser and businessman, and eventually moved into a 4,751-square-foot home in Cape Coral, Florida, valued at $1.7 million.
- That home, which he still owns, was his official residence until his decision to run for U.S. Senate last year. He and his wife purchased a one-bedroom, 728-square-foot home in White Lake Township just prior to his announcement he was running. But he never lived there and that home was demolished so a new one could be built in its place, the construction of which remains ongoing. His campaign last told the Advance he was living at his sister-in-law’s home in Genoa Township, near Brighton.
- While Rogers amassed personal wealth working for giant telecommunications companies like AT&T and Nokia, when he decided to return to Michigan and announce his run for Senate last September, he had been out of Michigan politics for nearly a decade.
- Radtke, however, thinks the picture is not so rosy for Rogers when it comes to convincing Michigan voters he will best represent their interests in the U.S. Senate.
- “He left the state about as quick as he could when he was going to go collect his payday on Fox News or whatever silliness that he thought he had earned as intelligence chairman. I mean, this is true carpetbagging. On his way back in, he didn’t even reestablish himself. I think the folks in Michigan aren’t going to be buying what Rogers is selling,” said Radtke. “He’s overstayed his welcome. You know, the snowbirds are going to be returning to Florida soon.”
Michigan Democratic Party: REMINDER: Mike Rogers Voted Against Measures to Lower the Cost of Prescription Drugs, Forcing Michiganders to Pay the Price
Michigan Democratic Party: Mike Rogers Wants to Rip Away Benefits from Michigan Seniors and Spike Costs by Slashing Social Security and Medicare
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