Attorney General debate centers on Line 5 arguments, attacks on record

Both attorney general candidates faced off in a debate on Sunday, answering questions on what to do with Line 5 litigation, artificial intelligence regulation and relations with the federal government.

Democratic attorney general candidate Eli Savit and Republican attorney general candidate Doug Lloyd both have seen national organizations putting out attack ads on the other, picking apart each other’s records as county prosecutors.

One of the main questions at the debate hosted by WDIV Local 4 on Sunday that highlighted differences in ideology between the candidates was how to approach the Line 5 case, which has spent almost a decade in the courts as to whether the pipeline will be placed in a tunnel for its continued use in the Straits of Mackinac, while the opposition has been focused on the ultimate closure of the pipeline.

Savit said his “North Star” in the case is protecting the Straits of Mackinac and 90% of the nation’s freshwater supply. He said a strike on the pipeline could be catastrophic for not only Michigan, but the entire country.

He called the decision in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan to place the onus of regulation in the hands of federal government instead of the state following Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s attempt to revoke the pipeline easement “disastrous.”

“This involves not just the Straits of Mackinac but recall that Enbridge was also responsible for the worst inland oil spill in the nation’s history in the Kalamazoo River,” Savit said. “It displaces the state from regulation entirely. It’s so broad that it would prevent the state from having any say on a natural gas pipeline that was 15 feet away from the kid’s school. I’m going to fight to get that decision on the books.”

Lloyd said he would not continue to pursue litigation against the pipeline, calling the fight focused on “political activism.”

Instead, he shifted his priority to residents in the Upper Peninsula that use the pipeline for heat, and worried that trucks carrying the oil across the Mackinac Bridge could create an even bigger risk for oil spills.

“The people in the Upper Peninsula need to know that they’re going to be able to heat their homes. They worry about this every day,” Lloyd said.

Both candidate’s records were debated, including the Republicans’ argument against Savit that his policies as Washtenaw County prosecutor including refusing to prosecute sex work, decriminalizing psychedelic drug use and no cash bail are putting people in danger.

Instead, Savit pushed back on any negative effects from his policies, saying Washtenaw County crime has gone down in recent years with a long stretch of zero homicide cases, gun deaths down and sexual assault instances being decreased. He said people need to look at the data, and that his county both prosecuted serious crimes and provided rehabilitative options.

Lloyd answered a question on certain cases of sex crimes and domestic violences cases where charges were reduced to avoid jail time as Eaton County prosecutor, including the case of former Delta Township Supervisor Ken Fletcher was sentenced to two years of probation in connection with an online child sex sting.

He said the concerns raised by national groups with these cases prove “they don’t actually understand the criminal justice system” and that the Democratic Attorneys General Association was “picking and choosing” the information in the attack ads.

The candidates agreed on topics including opposing utility rate hikes, investigating the Michigan Economic Development Corporation if there were signs of wrongdoing and data center deal transparency.

However, Lloyd said he was not convinced by Savit’s call for transparency in data centers when he owns stock in Arm Holdings, a subsidiary that deals with components for data centers.

Savit said he had 11 shares in a company that did design work for chips and has since sold them. He claimed the attack from Lloyd was a distraction from answering about his plan for data centers.

They also agreed on creating a regulatory environment for artificial intelligence.

Lloyd said he had to give credit to Attorney General Dana Nessel on artificial intelligence policy, in calling for the legislation meant to keep children safe against predatory AI use, wanting to continue that work.

The Senate passed the “Kids over Clicks” package, which would bar children from certain interactions with chatbots including sexual content and mental health help. However, the House Republicans have not taken up the legislation and possible session days are numbered.

Savit called AI a “generational challenge,” and attorneys general need to be heavily in combatting the effects.

“I agree that, yes, we need to go after companies who are using their products irresponsibly, harming children, allowing AI chatbots to plan mass shootings, which are lawsuits that have been filed,” Savit said. “But we also need to look at how these companies are using our personal data to make life less affordable for the rest of us, which is the use of AI algorithms to use our personal data and jack prices up on us individually based on our personal characteristics, (it) is unconscionable.”

Savit pledged that within his first 100 days in office he would issue a comprehensive set of rules under the Consumer Protection Act to address the misuse of AI for deceptive marketing.

Lloyd also held that he would break from President Donald Trump if he was going something that harms the citizens of Michigan. The comment comes as Trump is generally unpopular with voters and Republicans up and down the ticket have made comments distancing themselves with some of his policies, like the Iran war.

However, Lloyd also said in an answer about the role of the attorney general that Nessel has turned the office “completely political,” and Savit would too. One of the biggest complaints from Republicans against Nessel has been her dogged pursuit in suing the Trump administration.