Neil Friske, the Republican from Charlevoix, says the accusations levied against him in Lansing last week are false.
Friske was arrested just before 3 a.m. Thursday near a home he owns in Lansing after police responded to a report of gunshots fired.
No charges have been filed. The investigation continues into claims of sexual assault, assault and a weapons violation.
Friske made an appearance at a candidate forum in Petoskey on Monday, sharing the stage with his opponents in the upcoming Republican Primary and November election.
He did not agree to be interviewed by reporters at the forum but the freshman congressman told the crowd of voters he expects the accusations to be dropped.
“I did absolutely nothing wrong. And I’m sure when the police are done conducting their investigation, I will be completely exonerated. So far this has not been a miscarriage of justice, it has been a miscarriage of the media.”
Friske did not elaborate on what he meant by "the media." He appeared on the conservative northern Michigan radio show "Your Defending Fathers" Monday morning and told host Randy Bishop he was framed.
"I can't really comment on the specifics of things," Friske said during the interview. "Just the way events unfolded it was very clear to me that something wasn't right and I was being framed and trying to be framed and being set up."
Lansing Police Public Information Director Jordan Gulkis told the Detroit Free Press the department intends to present its case to the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office for review.
Soon after his arrest last week, Friske's campaign called his arrest "highly suspect" and defended him in a statement.
“As many of us know, Rep Friske is always exercising his 2nd Amendment right,” the statement read.
Friske said his campaign will continue into the summer, despite calls for resignation from State Rep. Phil Skaggs, D-East Grand Rapids.
The forum
Other than his opening remarks, Friske's arrest held little spotlight during the forum hosted by the Petoskey Regional Chamber.
Questions centered around issues felt most severely in northern Michigan — topics like affordable housing, access to healthcare, childcare and dealing with rural growth.
While the event featured other races in the region, Friske and his opponents are vying for Michigan's 107th Congressional District, which includes Charlevoix and Emmet counties and portions of Cheboygan, Chippewa and Mackinac counties.
His opponents include Charlevoix Republican Parker Fairbairn, who challenged Friske in 2022 in a split primary but came in second by more than 1,000 votes.
The Democratic challenger isJodi Decker, a family worker from Sault Ste. Marie who also ran in 2022 but lost to Friske by nearly 6,000 votes.
The panel was held at the Iron Horse Cafe on the campus of North Central Michigan University and was moderated by NCMC political science professor Scott LaDuer.
Friske centered his responses around cutting government spending, reducing interference in local issues — which he labeled as housing and childcare — and reinforcing his commitment to hard-line immigration policies and legislation to curb abortion access.
"You could have sent someone who plays patty cake with those who are hell-bent on raising taxes, growing the government and infringing upon our God-given rights. But you didn't. You sent me, and I remained true to what I said I would do," Friske told voters.
As a member of the conservative Michigan House Freedom Caucus, Friske is a harsh critic of Democrat-introduced legislation.
Fairbairn called parts of Friske's voting record "disgraceful" and said he's neglecting the district by voting strictly on party lines.
"I’m going to go down there I’m going to serve the district. I’m going to do the job," Fairbairn said. "I want to make sure our district has a voice down there — that’s been my reason for running since the get-go.”
After Friske and a handful of other Republicans voted against now-Speaker Joe Tate, those lawmakers saw few committee assignments. Friske sits on the Families, Children, and Seniors Committee.
Jodi Decker, the Democratic candidate, advocated for stronger social safety nets for impoverished families and tax incentives to bring more developers to northern Michigan to aid in fixing the housing and childcare shortages.
"I feel anything for children is going to help us in the long run, and it will bring more children into our area and more families who want to raise their children in our area," she said.
Decker called Friske's arrest an "embarrassment for the 107th Congressional District."
"First we had Lee Chatfield, now we have Neil Friske," she said, referencing the former House Speaker from Levering and his wife, who allegedly used political and taxpayer money to buy luxury products, according to Attorney General Dana Nessel. They face 15 combined corruption charges in Lansing, and both have pleaded not guilty.
"I can't speak to the legal matters of this," Fairbairn said. "But there are questions that still need to be answered."
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