Catholic Sisters calling for GOP leader’s removal after ‘disturbing’ comments about female leaders

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    SAGINAW, Michigan (WNEM) — The chairman of the Michigan GOP and member of the University of Michigan board of regents is being asked to resign after calling the top three elected women in the state witches.

An organization of catholic sisters is also joining the calls for him to step down.

“Anger and frustration,” said Sister Jane Herb.

Herb, the president-elect of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, said she was not only disturbed by Michigan Republican Party chairman Ron Weiser comments toward Michigan’s top elected officials but also that they came from an elected leader.

“To know that the leader of the Republican Party and a regent for the University of Michigan make such terms feeds into the divisiveness within our country and state,” Herb said.

Weiser came under fire Friday after calling Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of state Jocelyn Benson “witches” who should be ready for the burning at the stake.

He made the comment after jokingly referring to assassination as a way of dealing with two Michigan congressmen who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the January 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill.

His comment was intended to re-focus the party on defeating Whitmer, Nessel and Benson in 2022.

Whitmer responded on Twitter, holding a book called “The Witches are Coming” by Lindy West. The caption saying, “for a long time, a certain set of men have called women like me witches to silence and discredit us”.

Nessel also shot back with a photoshopped picture of herself, Whitmer and Benson wearing witch hats and telling the Michigan GOP to do better.

Sister Herb agrees.

“What happened January 6 in our nation’s capital for a leader to come out with these statements has the potential to incite others,” Herb said.

On Saturday Weiser apologized for his comments. But the Michigan Catholic Sisters are calling for his removal as head of the Michigan Republican Party and to resign from U of M position.

“We’re women of faith that have served the people of Michigan for hundreds of years and to have a leader speak in such terms for other leaders in our state is really disturbing,” she said.

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