Republican Hornberger received more than $20,000 in donations from Chatfield, who is under investigation for bribery, embezzlement
LANSING – Republican state Senate candidate Pamela Hornberger has been awfully quiet as stunning new details continue to come out about the criminal investigation into former GOP state House Speaker Lee Chatfield, including an alleged sexual assault recorded on a cell phone.
On Monday, The Detroit News continued its bombshell reporting of the investigation’s disturbing details, noting that Chatfield’s sister-in-law reported that the former speaker sexually assaulted her in June 2021 and “recorded the encounter on his cell phone.”
Hornberger, a state representative from Chesterfield, is facing Democratic Rep. Kevin Hertel of St. Clair Shores in the race for the 12th Senate District, which includes parts of Macomb, St. Clair and Wayne counties. She has previously received $22,500 in campaign donations from political action committees connected to the disgraced former GOP speaker.
“Pam Hornberger should give back the tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the sex offender former politician now facing a laundry list of financial crimes,” said Jim Frank, chair of the St. Clair County Democratic Party. “Pam Hornberger’s failure to stand up or speak out sends a clear message that she isn’t the least bit interested in the values we hold dear – honesty, integrity and accountability.”
Hornberger is among 12 Republican candidates and legislators, along with the House Republican Campaign Committee, that have received about $815,000 in campaign contributions from Chatfield, according to Michigan House Democrats.
Hornberger also has been silent about her GOP colleagues’ decision to use taxpayer dollars to cover legal fees incurred by House workers questioned as part of the Chatfield investigation, Frank said.
“If Hornberger really did care about our taxpayer money, she would demand an immediate stop to such payments and throw her support behind a full investigation,” Frank said. “Hornberger cares more about protecting her political allies in Michigan than the residents she is supposed to represent.”
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