In an interview for African-American centered media outlet, The Roots, Democrat Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made a confusing statement of supporting the “defund the police” movement. However, Whitmer immediately took back her statements.

In her Instagram live interview, Whitmer claimed that she only supports “the spirit” of defunding or dismantling the police force. The Governor’s statement came as a response to growing demands to take back government support for the US police department after the death of George Floyd.

When she was asked for her response to the movement, the Democrat replied, “The spirit is really about reprioritizing, rebuilding communities,” adding that it was “not just policing.” Whitmer went on to lament that most of the budget only goes to “the correction systems” and “the criminal justice system.”

However, reporter Terrell Jermaine Starr continued to press on and asked Whitmer if she supported the idea of “taking money from police departments.” The Governor explained that if the state would invest more in “rebuilding communities,” they would not need to provide additional funding to the police force. “So, yeah, I mean, the spirit of it, I do support that spirit of it,” the Governor said.

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After the interview, Whitmer immediately backtracked her support for the “defund the police” movement. In another interview for the Detroit Free Press, the Governor acknowledged that her statement has been confusing. She went on to do damage control by citing that she had never supported anything other than rebuilding communities, “in a way that creates real opportunity in an equitable and just manner.” She went on to justify her answer, saying, “I don’t believe police should be defunded.”

The Free Press wrote that when she was asked whether she would make budget cuts for the Michigan State Police, Whitmer said that they were already “underinvested” in every part of the “state government.” The media outlet noted that while the Michigan Governor had issued several police reforms, it did not include “defunding police or removing qualified immunity.”

The Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman Laura Cox also criticized Whitmer’s statements. The chairwoman, who had also served as a former state House Appropriations Committee head, claimed that it was just one of the Governor’s several schemes to attract national attention, and hopefully, to gain enough support for presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, to choose her as a running mate.

Cox claimed that while law enforcement officers should take the “proper steps” to protect citizens, the state must not forget the significance of the police department in maintaining peace and order within the community.

Currently, the state is facing a $3.2 billion budget deficit, as well as a projected $3 billion hole for next year. As of the moment, the Governor had not made a proposal on how to fill in the budget deficit, except for a coronavirus subsidy from Congress, as well as from the Trump administration.