Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said the Michigan Democratic Party is not doing enough to confront antisemitism, and she is now planning to stay away from the party’s upcoming convention because she fears for her safety. In an interview on MS NOW’s State of Play with Peter Alexander, Nessel said the threats against her and other Jewish elected officials have been constant and that the party has not responded with the seriousness she believes the problem requires.
Nessel, a Democrat who became the first Jewish person elected to statewide executive office in 2018, said the harassment has grown alongside what she described as a breakdown in civil discourse inside the party. She said many ideas are no longer respected. Asked directly whether the Michigan Democratic Party was doing enough to address antisemitism, she answered, “I would say absolutely they’re not.”
Her criticism focused in part on five defendants named in a federal indictment in June. Prosecutors allege they played roles in a conspiracy to threaten and harass the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and Democratic officials, including some who are Jewish. Nessel said those defendants are members of the Michigan Democratic Party and could still attend the convention, which she called baffling while the charges are pending. She said the party should enforce a code of conduct that would stop activists from harassing attendees or booing speakers off stage.
Party leaders pushed back. Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel said the party was appalled by the indictment and the antisemitic threats described in it. He said the party condemns hatred and violence and that neither belongs in Michigan. A party spokesperson also said Michigan Democrats are committed to safe and secure events, reject antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other hateful conduct, and are working with stakeholders, elected officials, and party members to prepare for the August convention at the Lansing Center on August 29.
