LIVE: Finished investigation on Flint water crisis released by Michigan attorney general

Following a years-long investigation into the Flint Water Crisis, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office has released its full report.

“This report is meant to be as thorough and complete an accounting as is possible and legally allowed, and to offer the truth of the events and decisions made by government officials as uncovered by our investigation,” said Attorney General Dana Nessel. “I hope this offering, revealing the inner workings of our dedicated investigators and prosecutors who helmed this yearslong effort, and the facts and evidence which guided them, may tell one part of the story of the Flint Water Crisis, and put the truth in the hands of those who deserve it the most—the people of Flint. I hope readers in Flint may come to better understand the decisions made by their government representatives, as well, that led to such devastation upon their community and families, and that still looms so large in homes across the city.”

According to the AG’s Office, the report, “ outlines the factual basis for charges brought, the legal framework that shaped the prosecutions, and the impact of subsequent court rulings that ultimately halted those prosecutions.”

The report has many redacted lines, and the AG’s Office says this is why:

“While the report contains extensive documentation of the investigative process, it also includes numerous redactions. These were made in compliance with Michigan law, which prohibits the release of information exclusively presented before the one-person grand jury. Testimony presented to the one-person grand jury and documents obtained as a result of one-person grand jury subpoenas are prohibited from being released. Only an act by the Legislature can alter these statutory constraints.”

Because of the one-man grand jury invalidation, the 42 criminal charges against 9 government officials were later dismissed as a result of the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision.

Written by UpNorthLive