Brody's Notes... Michigan Attorney General Fires Assistant AG Andrew Shirvell For Harassing Gay UM Student

Andrew Shirvell    Photo By CNN

By Mark Singer (Washington DC) NOV 8 | The Attorney General of Michigan, Michael Cox has terminated State's Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell with prejudice for abusing the powers of his office. Cox via a press release also stated that Shirvell was guilty of  conducting unbecoming of a State Law Enforcement official and utilizing  state resources to persecute and harass 21 year old University of Michigan student Chris Armstrong. 

In today's statement, Cox also said:

“To be clear, I refuse to fire anyone for exercising their First Amendment rights, regardless of how popular or unpopular their positions might be. However, Shirvell repeatedly violated office policies, engaged in borderline stalking behavior, and inappropriately used state resources, our investigation showed. Finally, Shirvell lied to investigating assistant attorneys general on several occasions during his disciplinary hearing.”

Detroit Free Press reporter Lori Higgins reports that among the examples cited by Cox in the statement:

• Showed up at the home of a private citizen three times, including once at 1:30 a.m. That incident is especially telling because it clearly was about harassing Armstrong, not engaging in free speech.

• Further engaged in behavior that, while not perhaps sufficient to charge criminal stalking, was harassing, uninvited and showed a pattern that was in the everyday sense, stalking. 

• Harassing Armstrong's friends as they were socializing in Ann Arbor;

• Numerous calls to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, Armstrong's employer, in an attempt to slander Armstrong — and ultimately attempting to cause Pelosi to fire Armstrong

• Attempting to "out" Armstrong's friends as homosexual — several of whom were not gay.

Armstrong’s attorney, Deborah Gordon, issued a statement this afternoon in which she said the AG’s office made the correct decision. Gordon as counsel for Chris Armstrong has filed complaints with the Michigan Bar Association's Grievance Commission, asking it to investigate Shirvell and possibly disbar him.

“The next step must be a complete retraction of all the malicious lies and fabrications by Mr. Shirvell, and a public apology to Chris Armstrong, his family and the others Mr. Shirvell has slandered.”