Democrat state lawmaker defies Gov. Whitmer, will vote with Republicans to reopen Michigan

Michigan Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) joined the voices opposing Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's shutdown order and announced that she would voting with Republicans to end the lockdown.

Whitsett spoke on the "Glenn Beck Radio Program" on Friday about her vote to open up the state.

"We have to celebrate the victories, do we still need testing? Yeah, we still need it," said Whitsett, speaking about coronavirus.

"Am I voting to support us opening up our state, yes I am voting to support us opening up our state because I do feel that there's too much power given to the governor right now and it's not being used properly," she continued.

"But where it needs to be handled and dealt with down in my city," Whitsett explained, "you guys are helping to make that impact, you're making the difference, you're making the change, it's people that is doing this, it's not the people and the politicians that are making the difference..."

"That's always, that's always the case!" agreed Beck. "I know the American people, when they see a need, they will fill it."

Whitsett had previously made headlines when the Democratic party voted to censure her over her support of President Donald Trump after she was saved from coronavirus by taking hydroxychloroquine based on his recommendation.

"[A]s long as you [Whitmer] are not doing your job, and black lives are being lost in the city of Detroit, I will continue to throw you under the bus, drive it over you, and drag you by your hair behind the bus. Because you need to do your job!" she said on Beck's radio show at the time.

Detroit has been one of the hotspots for coronavirus. Michigan has documented more than 42,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, and 3,866 deaths.

Here's the video of Whitsett's comments: