State Rep. Mary Whiteford, of Casco Township, today issued the following statement in response to last week’s House Oversight Committee hearing with Rudy Giuliani. The hearing featured several Michigan residents who said they witnessed serious irregularities during the November election. Following the hearing, state Rep. Cynthia A. Johnson, of Detroit, and other legislators received threats. Those threats have been shared by Rep. Johnson with other legislators:

“First and foremost, racism and violence have no place in our society and those who sent these horrifying messages to Representative Johnson should be held accountable. Rep. Johnson has posted some of these messages to her Facebook page and they are shocking, cruel and totally out of line. No one should be exposed to that type of behavior. I have been exposed to threats as well, including someone showing up at my house and coming onto my property unwelcomed.

“In a professional manner, I felt it was necessary to make clear my displeasure for how the Representative treated witnesses who testified about election irregularities in Michigan during the November election. I believe Rep. Johnson’s conduct was belittling, offensive and meant to humiliate. By asking for one witness to spell her name and give her maiden name after she made serious allegations regarding our state’s elections process, I feel Rep. Johnson was attempting to intimidate. Names are often recorded by a clerk for public record and that information would have been readily available after the hearing for the Representative.

“The people who testified before the House Oversight Committee were courageous to step forward with what they saw at places such as the TCF Center in Detroit. They put themselves out there in a high-profile setting. The hearing provided a platform for Michigan residents to share their experiences and generate ways to better Michigan’s elections in the future.

“No one should be subjected to intimidation for sharing their opinions.”