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State House Speaker calls for President Simon's resignation

December 11, 2017

On Dec. 10, State House Speaker Tom Leonard, who is running for Michigan Attorney General, made a Facebook post directed towards MSU in light of ex-MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's federal sentencing. He joins the growing number of concerns regarding how MSU handled the investigation of the former doctor.

The Republican, who serves the 93rd district encompassing Clinton County and parts of Gratiot County, cited the lack of reports released from the investigation in an interview with the Lansing State Journal, calling on MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon to resign.

"You conduct an investigation but don’t even have the confidence in your findings, or the decency, to release a report? That is outrageous and absolutely reprehensible," Leonard wrote on his Facebook page. "At best, you have clearly proven yourself grossly incompetent. At worst, you are covering something up and shielding bad actors from the justice these victims deserve. It is well past time for all of us to find out the truth."

He also called for the involvement of the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the Michigan State Police and the Attorney General to investigate MSU's handling of the situation in his post. 

MSU spokesperson Jason Cody could not be reached at the time of publication, but on Dec. 3, the MSU board of trustees released a response to the LSJ editorial calling for Simon's resignation. The board displayed its support for Simon.

"President Simon has proven her commitment to helping the university when it comes to the societal issue of sexual misconduct," the response read. "She has the complete confidence of the Board of Trustees to lead the university in this and all endeavors."

Though MSU administration is limited to what it can discuss during the ongoing litigation, survivors and other members of the community continue to raise concerns and frustrations with the university's silence and handling of the investigation. 

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