Whitmer Appoints CEO Who Brought Chinese Battery Company to Michigan to Powerful State Board
Democrats in state have voiced concerns about the Chinese government's infiltration of Michigan
Collin Anderson
April 28, 2023
Michigan Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer's latest appointee to a powerful state economic board is a nonprofit executive who helped facilitate the deal that brought a controversial Chinese battery company to the Great Lakes State.
Whitmer on Thursday tapped Randy Thelen to serve on the Michigan Strategic Fund, a powerful state board that approves the distribution of public grants and tax breaks to private businesses. Thelen is the CEO of Grand Rapids-based nonprofit The Right Place, which works to drive economic development in western Michigan. With Thelen at the helm, the nonprofit partnered with Chinese battery maker Gotion to help the company acquire land for a western Michigan factory, a controversial project that the state is showering with hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds.
Whitmer's decision to appoint Thelen comes as Michigan residents and elected officials express concern over Gotion's presence in the state. The Chinese battery giant's leader is a known Chinese Communist Party member, and the company's bylaws require Gotion to "carry out party activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China." Gotion's ties to the CCP prompted hundreds of Michiganders to hold a rally last week in opposition to the battery plant, and even Democratic lawmakers have questioned Gotion's Michigan project. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D., Mich.), for example, acknowledged Tuesday that she's "worried" about the project's national security implications.
https://freebeacon.com/democrats/whitmer-appoints-ceo-who-brought-chinese-battery-company-to-michigan-to-powerful-state-board/
