Michigan GOP leader called opponents 'scum' after hearing on ICE bills

Craig Mauger

Lansing — State Sen. Jim Runestad, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, referred to people who opposed him at a committee hearing about federal immigration enforcement as "absolute scum," according to a recording of his remarks provided to The Detroit News.

Runestad, a White Lake Township lawmaker, made the "scum" comment at a Feb. 3 Republican leadership event in Oakland County, five days after a heated meeting of the Michigan Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee in Lansing.

The Democratic-led panel was considering bills to restrict officers' ability to conduct immigration enforcement actions in places like schools, churches, hospitals, courthouses or buildings that house organizations that assist victims of abuse.

Another bill the committee debated on Jan. 29 would broadly prohibit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees from wearing masks.

Runestad, the top Republican on the committee and a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, spoke against the bills during the hearing and was occasionally heckled by members of the crowd.

He also accused Democrats in the majority, including committee chairwoman Stephanie Chang of Detroit, of blocking him from being asking all of the questions he wanted to. In the Feb. 3 meeting with fellow Republicans, Runestad recounted the hearing, said Democrats let supporters of the bills do all of the talking and labeled the pending legislation "ICE crap."

"The minute I say, 'Would you answer the question?,' she starts raining the gavel down," Runestad said of Chang. "They're just scum. They're absolute scum."

Runestad then said people in the crowd at the ICE hearing were "hollering" and "laughing" at him. He noted that one person who testified in support of the bills called him "Jimmy."

"They are so rotten," Runestad told fellow Republicans. "They are so nasty."

"You can't let the audience participate. And they're just hooping and hollering. And she's just enjoying every minute of it," Runestad said of Chang. "They're nasty, nasty people."

In a Tuesday interview, Runestad said his use of the word "scum" wasn't targeted at Chang but was meant for the people heckling him during the committee meeting.

Runestad said when he was chairman of a Senate committee, he ensured Democrats were treated with respect and had the opportunity to ask their questions.

"I would maybe use a different word," Runestad said of calling people "scum" during the Republican meeting.

Senate leader rebukes Runestad

In his descriptions to fellow Republicans on Feb. 3, Runestad was using the hearing on the immigration bills to highlight the importance of an upcoming special election in the 35th Senate District in the Bay City, Midland and Saginaw area.

If Republican lawyer Jason Tunney of Saginaw wins that race against Democratic firefighter Chedrick Greene of Saginaw on May 5, the Democratic majority in the Senate would effectively end, as the chamber would be tied 19-19.

"That will all have an end put to it as soon as we take that seat," Runestad said.

But Runestad's remarks indicated he had sharp feelings of anger toward some of his Democratic opponents, and news of the comments drew an immediate rebuke from Democrats.

In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, said the "repeated immature behavior is embarrassing and unbecoming of a senator."

"This person is the voice of the Michigan Republican Party," Brinks said. "I expect a quick condemnation from conservatives who should be demanding better."

What hecklers said about 'Jimmy'

During the Jan. 29 hearing, Runestad argued the committee meeting was an "exercise in futility" because federal policies on immigration would ultimately outweigh any changes in Michigan law. It was a reference to the Supremacy Clause in the U.S. Constitution, which says federal laws and treaties are the "supreme Law of the Land" and prevail over state laws.

"When federal and state laws conflict, federal law wins," Runestad said at one point. "The state judges are bound by it."

Some of those in the crowded meeting room heckled Runestad as he spoke at various points.

"The Klan covered their faces too," a person in the crowd said as someone spoke against the mask ban, referencing the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group.

"Can we control the audience?" Runestad asked Chang at one point.

Chang did ask for decorum when someone referred to Runestad as "Jimmy" during the hearing.

On Runestad's remarks to fellow Republicans, Chang said Tuesday that anyone can go back and watch the committee hearing and see evidence that Runestad was given "ample time to speak."

It's easier to demonize people and throw insults than it is to try to understand where someone is coming from, Chang said.

"It's disappointing, and unfortunately, not that surprising," the Detroit Democrat said of Runestad's comments.

The ICE-related bills are still in Chang's committee and would have to pass both the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House, which is highly unlikely, to make it to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk.

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