MI AG Dana Nessel went on luxurious island trip with donor, evidence reveals.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s Lavish Island Vacation with Campaign Donor

Introduction

Michigan Democratic attorney general Dana Nessel recently took a luxurious island vacation with a prominent campaign donor who owns a law firm in the state. Emails and photos obtained by the Washington Free Beacon reveal that Nessel flew to Turks and Caicos in late March to vacation alongside Michigan lawyer Kelly Neumann, who contributed more than $7,000 to Nessel’s reelection campaign in 2021.

The Lavish Vacation

While Nessel has portrayed herself as a “normal” Michigander who spends her time “complaining about the Lions,” her island vacation with Neumann was anything but ordinary. The pair stayed in the penthouse of the luxurious Ritz-Carlton resort in Providenciales, accommodations that cost nearly $8,700 a night, according to the hotel. Deleted Instagram photos of the trip obtained by the Free Beacon show Nessel’s wife, fellow attorney Alanna Maguire, enjoying a glass of champagne and rubbing Nessel’s shoulders in the penthouse’s private pool, which overlooks the world-renowned Grace Bay Beach. Neumann also reserved the Ritz-Carlton’s “exclusive sailing yacht” for the trip, photos show—a 90-minute sunset sail on the yacht costs nearly $10,000.

Criticism and Response

Nessel’s vacation with Neumann has raised eyebrows, especially as evidence that Neumann’s law firm paid for the vacation emerges. The Detroit News on May 2 cited hotel records showing Neumann Law Group footed the bill for the Ritz-Carlton penthouse, and Neumann in a March 19 Facebook post confirmed she organized the trip. Still, both local and national media outlets have largely ignored Nessel’s vacation, which could land the Democrat in hot water just months after she secured a second term as attorney general.

Nessel, whose office did not return multiple requests for comment, has yet to acknowledge she took the island vacation. The Democrat on May 3 issued a vague statement that generally referenced “personal vacations” but did not mention Neumann or the Turks and Caicos trip. “On the rare occasion my family takes personal vacations, we pay for it ourselves,” Nessel said. “We also do not vacation with those who do business with or have cases against the state of Michigan.”

Conclusion

It remains unclear if Nessel could afford on her own what Neumann called the Ritz-Carlton’s “best digs.” Nessel in 2019 released her 2017 and 2018 tax returns, which showed the Democrat and her wife combined to earn $133,034 in 2017 and $75,943 in 2018—income levels that are hardly associated with private Caribbean island penthouses. The Turks and Caicos trip was not the first time Nessel and Neumann interacted. The pair had dinner in February at the upscale steak and seafood chain Ocean Prime, a get-together that Neumann also promoted on social media.

• Nessel’s vacation with Neumann has raised eyebrows
• The pair stayed in the penthouse of the luxurious Ritz-Carlton resort in Providenciales
• Neumann’s law firm paid for the vacation
• Nessel has yet to acknowledge she took the island vacation
• The Turks and Caicos trip was not the first time Nessel and Neumann interacted

It remains to be seen if Nessel will face any consequences for her lavish island vacation with a prominent campaign donor.