Michigan’s highest ranking Republican leader was caught on video calling the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol a “hoax” and espousing other conspiracy theories related to the siege.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, in a video posted on YouTube of a meeting with Hillsdale County Republican Party officials, said of the Capitol insurrection in which five people died: “It was all staged.”
About half an hour into the video Shirkey can also be heard asking, “Why wasn’t there more security there?” He accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of being involved, saying McConnell “is part of the decision-making how much security they have on stand. I think they wanted to have a mess.”
Read this story now for free
To continue reading, sign up for our newsletter and get unlimited access to WABE.org
You can select your preferences for news and local content. We will never share your email address. Learn how your newsletter sign-up will support WABE and Public Media