Candidate Who Slammed Nassar Judge Drops Out Of State Senate Race

State Senate candidate Michael Saari is abandoning his campaign after stirring controversy by criticizing the judge in the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case and labelling her a "feminazi." The Republican from Commerce Township's comments on social media went viral earlier this week.

In his comments, Saari went as far as to say that that the judge in Nassar's sentencing, Ingham County Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, went overboard with her comments towards Nassar at sentencing, and wondered on social media what she might say if her husband asked her to perform a specific sex act.

After the public outrage at his comments, Saari, in an interview with Patch on Thursday, said that he was ending his bid for the state senate seat now held by Republican Mike Kowall.

“I am going to recuse myself. I’m dropping out of the race," Saari said. "On the news, my explanation was clear that this has nothing to do with Nassar, this has everything to do with the judge because she left open the possibility of appeal. It would cost taxpayers’ more money because of her, the judge’s, ineptness. It was never to protect Nassar. The sentencing was proper.”

In sentencing the former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University sports medicine doctor to 175 years in prison for assaulting more than 150 girls and women, Judge Aquilina said to Nassar "I just signed your death warrant." Prior to handing down the sentence, Aquilina allowed over 150 of Nassar's victims to give victim impact statements over the course of seven days.

Monday, Saari's comment about the judge in a Facebook discussion of the case went viral. In the comment, Saari called the judge a “feminazi” and crudely speculated about her relationship with her husband.

WXYZ-TV interviewed Saari on the air Tuesday, and he admitted making the comment, then defended it, insisting that the judge had overstepped, though he did say he "might" not use the crude language if he had it to do over. Saari insists that people are ignoring his real concerns and assuming he sides with Nassar, which, he says, is not at all the case.

Wednesday night, a discussion on Saari's own Facebook page revealed other inflammatory comments allegedly made by the Commerce Township businessman. Saari had linked to video of his television interview in a post on his personal Facebook Tuesday, inviting comments from the general public. Wednesday evening, users began posting screenshots, but not just of the Judge Aquilina comment. Screenshots showing incendiary comments from 2016, one about young girls and one about African Americans co-opting golf, fly fishing and small towns, were posted to the discussion, and have since been shared widely on social media.

One of the alleged Saari comments from November 2016 reads: “Woman [sic] don't seem to understand that from the very beginning of time men have taken young girls (Prior to periods) as wives and concubines. Even the bible talks of this so don't make it sound like men that are attracted to 12 year old girls are sick... it's you woman [sic] that can't get a grip on reality is whats [sic] sick...it's only normal and you can't change normal or a persons [sic] DNA.”

When read the comment aloud by Patch, Saari denied ever making the post, saying he believes people who think he defended Nassar fabricated the screenshot now circulating widely on social media.

But Ian Bancroft says he was part of the online conversation that included Saari's alleged comment about young girls. His name and picture appear along with the comment that comes immediately after Saari's, as seen in the screenshot posted above. Bancroft says he made the original screenshot of Saari's words and that the thread the comment appeared in was part of a discussion on a Detroit newspaper's Facebook page.

"He had friended me about six months prior. After that comment, I unfriended him. The original screenshot is from me, sent to a friend in disbelief," Bancroft said.

When reached by phone at his business Thursday morning, Saari denied making the 2016 comment about young girls, and a second inflammatory post from the same year which is also circulating widely in screenshot form on Facebook and other social media.

“I’ve never made those comments. It’s not my character,” Saari said.

Saari told Patch he is withdrawing from the race and the party.

“I don’t want chaos in my community. I don’t want hatred in my community. I care enough about my community to step back," Saari said. “I know these people in this community. They are in tears," he added, saying that area Chaldeans had been especially supportive of his candidacy, and were hurt by attacks on his character. “I was almost a shoe-in,” he added.