Michigan

Barrett stood on the floor of the Michigan Senate on Dec. 18 and told “a story about a business in my district.” Here’s the entire story, as recorded in the Senate Journal:

“Recently, a man dropped by Charlie’s while some employees were taking a break inside. I had a couple of guys who were helping me out. During the downtime, I had them come inside and eat a couple of sandwiches, said John Devine who’s the manager. While they were inside, a man approached them. The man told John that he was really lonely and asked if he could have something to eat. John and his wife felt bad for the man and served him a meal.

“I wish I could tell you that this act of human compassion went relatively unnoticed and was simply a long list of unrecognized good deeds that are done on behalf of our fellow men and women every day. But not in 2020 and not in [Gov.] Gretchen Whitmer’s Michigan, where it’s always winter and never Christmas. Instead, we learned that the man who walked in asking for a meal was actually playing an elaborate ruse. He was an enforcement officer with the Liquor Control Commission dispatched to lay the screws to guys like John just trying their best to survive. A couple of days ago, John learned that he had his liquor license suspended. Merry Christmas, John.”

Devine, the manager of Charlie’s, made the same allegations in an interview with WLNS-TV in Lansing.

“Devine says a man came in and said he was lonely and tired of being stuck in the house,” that station reported on Dec. 16. “Him and his wife felt sorry for him and allowed him to sit down and eat, but what they didn’t know was he worked for the Michigan Liquor Commission, which then suspended the restaurant’s liquor license.”