LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — As former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and eight other government officials were charged for their alleged involvement in the Flint water crisis, Snyder’s attorney Brian Lennon called the case a travesty.
The former governor has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty with a maximum penalty of up to a year in jail and a fine of $1,000. Lennon says the allegations are not justified and do nothing to resolve a painful chapter in Michigan history. He says it’s all an attempt to perpetrate an outrageous political persecution.
The crisis came about after Snyder’s Emergency Manager decided to use the Flint River for water in order to save money back in 2014. Authorities say it led to at least 90 cases of Legionnaires’ Disease and 12 deaths. A total of 41 charges were filed by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office.