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DE ROCHE, WARD, CALL FOR CIVIL RIGHTS INVESTIGATION In another development related to the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, House Speaker Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) and House Majority Floor Leader Rep. Chris Ward (R-Brighton) sent a letter to both Attorney General Mike Cox and Auditor General Thomas McTavish on Wednesday, calling for an investigation into the investigation conducted by the Civil Rights Commission and Department of Civil Rights. The Republican leaders contest that the commission and department overstepped their bounds in equating the petition gathering (where fraud has been alleged by the commission) with a civil rights violation. "Now, the administration appears to be blatantly supporting political action and policies that treat citizens of Michigan differently based on their race or ethnicity," the two wrote. The initiative would ban the use of affirmative action programs in government and public universities in the state. The letter concludes, "Did the CRC have the constitutional and statutory authority to conduct this investigation? Did the CRC have the authority to claim that the MCRI petition circulators committed fraud? Finally, did CRC improperly expend public funds in its attacks on MCRI's signature collection process?" Officials from the commission and department recently concluded a series of hearings across the state where residents said they were misled into signing the MCRI petition, thinking the proposal would actually keep affirmative action programs in place. They have called on the Attorney General and Supreme Court to intervene and take the proposal off the November ballot. Harold Core, spokesperson for the department, said he was not comfortable commenting until see specific letter, however he said, "I'm confident that the department and commission acted within their authority."