Spranger Asks Trump, Snyder To Overturn Removal From Office

DETROIT, MI -- Karen Spranger, removed as Macomb County clerk by a judge last week after a tumultuous year in office, sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to intervene. The letter filed April 2 with the US District Court, is also addressed to Governor Rick Snyder, the FBI field office in Detroit, a US attorney in West Virginia and District Court Judge George Steeh.

Headed “Overthrow of a Constitutional Public Office violation,” the note asks for “relief” in the form of “an immediate investigation and injunction to stop the overthrow of a Constitutional Public Office.” In the letter, Spranger alleges that her insistence on accessing county books and bank accounts prompted attempts to remove her, along with county workers’ desire to do things per “routine” they established under the previous county clerk. The letter repeatedly accuses county officials of being in "rebellion" against the constitution and illegally plotting to overthrow Spranger.

The rambling note, which stretches to ten type-written pages, specifically asks Governor Snyder to assist her out of his “duty to protect the peoples [sic] rights and to protect this public office under the constitution of this State and for breach of trust and constitutional violation being done by other administrative department to ruin the integrity dignity [sic] of this office.” Spranger asks the governor to “intervene and to enforce the constitution as defined in this State Constitution as shown below. [B]y insurrection and repel invasion [sic].”

After eight pages of cutting-and-pasting the state constitution, beginning with sections on the use of the state militia, Spranger concludes with a request for an investigation "to detect these possible crimes against the clerk of courts [sic] office and the return to my elected position and the return of all illegally removed files by public officials who are in insurrection and rebellion and who have gone on strike against the constitution." Spranger also writes that one of her deputy clerks "has received a threat over her personal home phone."

The letter lists Spranger’s home address as "7520 Hutson, Warren, MI 48091." On March 27, Judge Daniel J. Kelly of the 31st Judicial Court in Port Huron cited the Spranger’s misrepresentation of her place of residence at the Warren address as his reason for removing her from office. County officials in Macomb are required to live within the county, and the Warren address Spranger listed lacked electrical service and was hoarded with four to five feet of debris, according to police who served a warrant there.

Longtime county worker Kathy Bower was appointed as acting clerk shortly after Spranger’s removal. Judges will meet soon to decide on a permanent replacement from Spranger, barring a successful court appeal or other intervention.