Michigan Democratic State Central Committee

07/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/08/2024 15:51

WHAT TO KNOW: Michigan Republicans Think Mike Rogers is a “Disingenuous” and “Unprincipled” “Career Politician”

Republicans have called out Rogers for having a "selfish pattern of using political influence to personally profit" and "taking money from Chinese joint ventures in areas that he said was terrible."

LANSING - As he enters the general election, Mike Rogers can't run away from his extensive record of enriching himself at the expense of Michiganders. Even Republicans have called out Mike Rogers for being an "unprincipled career politician" who made "millions of dollars utilizing his government influence" "from Chinese joint ventures in areas that he said was terrible."

Take a look at what Republicans have said about "unprincipled career politician" Mike Rogers who has a "selfish pattern of using political influence to personally profit:"

  • "@MikeRogersForMI is an unprincipled career politician. Rogers' selfish pattern of using political influence to personally profit from partnerships with the Chinese Communist government against the interests of our country is wrong. Rogers' activities are eerily like the Biden family activities in Ukraine. The Detroit News investigation outlines how Rogers made millions of dollars from companies like AT&T, Nokia and Qualys who all had partnerships with the Chinese Communist Government after Rogers railed against companies that make such partnerships as the House Intelligence Chair. This repeats a pattern in which Rogers and his wife coupled to make millions of dollars utilizing his government influence." [Pensler, 3/15/24]
  • "Now that his record of jeopardizing national security is in the rear-view mirror and his coffers are filled with corporate money from the infamous "revolving door" between big business and big government, Rogers is attempting a political comeback." [Roger Stone, 2/21/24]
  • "Donald Trump just endorsed the worst Deep State candidate this cycle." [Senator Rand Paul, 3/11/24]
  • ".@MikeRogersForMI, you & I served together in Congress. Back then, you thought tea party guys like me were crazy. Now you're embracing a guy like Kash Patel? Wow. Mike, who would've guessed 10yrs ago that the serious, responsible, establishment Republican like you would've been the one to sell his soul, and the crazy tea party guy like me wouldn't have? Pretty funny, huh?" [Former Congressman Joe Walsh, 4/17/24]
  • "I heard Justin talking about how Trump doesn't understand or may have made a mistake about Mike Rogers. Oh my god, he made a huge mistake. This is the guy who reauthorized the deep state." [Congressman Thomas Massie, 5/9/24]
  • "I just hate to see him, you know, folding on this issue and following the pack." [Detroit News conservative editorial editor Nolan Finley, 1/10/24]
  • "Mike Rogers is basically the worst establishment candidate that you could ever imagine. If you were to imagine the worst person in politics, it's this guy." [Amash, 5/9/24]
  • "Hey @MikeRogersForMI, the reason I oppose you is because you and I had a conversation about how insane Trump was, but you sold out for some power. Glad to set the record straight." [Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, 6/25/24]
  • "Mike Rogers is a weak man. He's willingly become a craven neutered Trump pet. Rogers's character has been jettisoned. Everything he was: army officer, FBI officer, effective legislator, respected congressman has been plowed under." [Former GOP Chair Jeff Timmer, 6/23/24]
  • "Mike Rogers is an absolute disgrace. He went from a true and serious legislator to this garbage. 'What is it to a man to gain the world but lose your soul?'" [Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, 4/17/24]
  • "If you could use AI to design the worst 2024 candidate it would literally give you a picture of Mike Rogers." [John Yob, 2/27/24]
  • "Can't imagine a worse or more dangerous "Republican" candidate for Senate than Mike Rogers. He's the epitome of Deep State-former FBI agent turned Congressman turned lobbyist & CNN commentator who spent his career pushing for endless wars & mass govt spying on US citizens." [Caroline Wren, 9/7/23]
  • "Mike Rogers campaign should be DOA. Michigan doesn't need a deep state operative representing them in DC." [Adam Veinotte, 9/6/23]
  • "Mike Rogers would be a stain on the November Republican ballot in Michigan." [Coalition to Rescue Michigan, 3/19/24]
  • "Rogers has raked in millions following his departure from Congress, funding a lavish lifestyle, and leaving his home state of Michigan in the dust. Rogers has raked in nearly $2 million from serving on the boards of various tech and cybersecurity firms in the past two years alone, cashing in on his deep state bona fides and amassing assets of $17.5 million as a military-industrial grifter. Rogers lived in a mansion worth $1.5 million in Cape Coral, Florida before relocating and buying a home in the Detroit area only a few months before announcing his U.S. Senate run last year." [Roger Stone, 2/21/24]
  • "He is the worst. He is the worst on privacy. He is basically renewed the 702 program and the Patriot Act program. He was one of the Deep State, I call them Deep Congress. He was basically working for the Deep State in Congress. And if he gets back and he's in the Senate, I mean, I don't want to say liberty is extinguished, but definitely the flame is not burning as bright if he gets a seat in the Senate." [Congressman Thomas Massie, 3/28/24]
  • "Disingenuous. I have to use the word, he's a liar. And it is sort of similar of how he has dealt with 'Oh I really lived in Michigan. I don't live in Florida.' And then it came out that he's still voting and has a house in Florida. 'Oh I hate all these people dealing with Chinese telecoms.' Then it came out that he'd gotten several million from joint ventures with Chinese telecoms. It's a continuing pattern." [Pensler, 6/3/24]
  • "Deep State Mike Rogers has been an establishment stooge his whole career." [Amash, 3/11/24]
  • "Voters need to be leery of this blatant fraud and reject Rogers in the primary election before he is on the ballot in November to undermine President Trump in the crucial battleground state of Michigan." [Roger Stone, 2/21/24]
  • "So we served together for four years and he didn't care one bit about people's rights. I mean, if you saw someone, you've never seen someone so indifferent or actually hostile to individual rights as this guy. We have butted heads so many times. He would always be pushing for the maximum amount of government surveillance, maximum amount of control over your lives." [Amash, 5/9/24]
  • "Mike Rogers has a long history of weaponizing government against the people." [Amash, 7/16/24]
  • "100 percent, I think Mike Rogers should be disqualified from ever taking office." [Pensler, 5/10/24]
  • Rogers "is trying to run from his record… I think this is again, the type of politician who'll say anything and do anything for his own personal promotion. I wanted to call him out on it. I was frankly disgusted by it." [Pensler, 1/16/24]
  • "The one consistent thing about Mike Rogers is a complete lack of principles. Rogers does whatever benefits him." [Pensler, 1/9/24]
  • "The surveillance state has no greater friend than @MikeRogersForMI. He's never met an American he didn't want to spy on." [Amash, 6/19/24]
  • "On every single issue, Mike Rogers says one thing and does another. Whether it is about where Mike Rogers lives… Rogers' partnerships with companies that partner with Huawei, Mike Rogers says one thing and does another!" [Pensler, 6/3/24]
  • "After Congress, he's been taking money from Chinese joint ventures in areas that he said it was terrible, and American companies should steer clear of Chinese joint ventures. His record's terrible and he doesn't want it exposed." [Pensler, 6/4/24]
  • "The idea that this guy should set foot anywhere near the Senate is pretty outrageous. I think if the American people understand who Mike Rogers is, they will not want him anywhere near the Senate." [Amash, 4/10/24]

Rogers has faced scrutiny for being "unfit to serve" because of his "transactional approach to politics [and] his ideological inconsistency" that "render[s] him a poor fit for this Senate seat."

  • "But Rogers' transactional approach to politics, his ideological inconsistency and obeisance to former President Donald Trump render him a poor fit for this Senate seat." [Detroit Free Press Editorial Board, 6/10/24]
  • "In short, we detected little consistency among Rogers' political positions - but had no trouble concluding that the former congressman has learned all too well how to read the political room, a transactional approach to ideology." [Detroit Free Press Editorial Board, 6/10/24]
  • "Both Pensler and Amash have accused Rogers of flipping his opposition to Trump when it served his electoral pursuits." [Detroit News, 6/30/24]
  • "Others argue that he really still lives in Florida - though he's registered to drive and vote in Michigan - and has been compromised by the millions he has made since leaving Congress in 2015 working with corporations, including some foreign-based companies, especially as a cybersecurity expert." [Detroit Free Press, 6/7/24]

See also: Detroit Free Press [EDITORIAL]: Michigan GOP voters: …[Do] not [choose] Mike Rogers in Aug. 6 primary

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