Michigan Representative Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix), known for his staunch conservatism and membership in the Freedom Caucus, could face three felony charges, following his arrest.
According to records accessed via the Michigan State Police Internet Criminal History Access tool, Lansing Police have sought charges including felony sexual assault, assault, and a weapons-related offense against Friske.
Friske was arrested after Lansing Police responded to reports of a male with a gun and possible shots fired around 2:45 a.m., according to Lansing Police Department Public Information Director Jordan Gulkis. They quickly apprehended Friske on a felony-level offense.
An ongoing investigation into Friske’s actions is underway, with the Lansing Police Department preparing to present the case to the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office for review and formalize charges.
Frisk, 62, is widely considered one of the most right-wing members of Michigan’s legislature, advocating for conservative causes such as restricting abortion rights and imposing age restrictions on library materials. He has also drawn attention for controversial stances, including opposing legislation to criminalize non-consensual deep fake pornography, which commonly is used to blackmail and shame women, but is also used to create nude images of minors.
He is also an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump. In response to Trump’s indictment on charges of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels — for which he was convicted last month — Frisk wrote that “it’s completely unsettling to think we may have to witness a former president, who is currently running in the next election, perp walked on live television, and treated like a political prisoner.”
Following Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s indictment of 16 individuals implicated in a purported scheme to invalidate the 2020 election results on behalf of Donald Trump, Friske condemned the charges as “a politically motivated purge” and a “USSR-style persecution.”
Despite the serious charges, Friske maintains his innocence, claiming that he’s being “framed” and slamming the arrest as a ploy orchestrated by political opponents.
“The way events unfolded, it was very clear to me that something wasn’t right, and I was being framed, trying to be framed, and being set up,” Friske said, according to the Michigan Advance. “And that’s how these people work and it’s just so frustrating. It’s just amazing to me how desperate people are that they go to these kinds of lengths to try to destroy someone.”
In a Facebook statement, Friske’s campaign asserted that “Rep Friske is always exercising his 2nd Amendment right. We do not have any details, besides what the media sourced, oddly before anyone of us knew anything.”
