Governor Rick Snydersays he’s close to a final decision on what disciplinary action – if any – will be taken against the leader of the Michigan State Police over a controversial Facebook post.
Colonel Kriste Etue is facing a review after she shared a Facebook meme that called NFL players who take a knee during the national anthem “degenerates” and “unpatriotic.” She quickly took down the post and issued an apology.
Snyder repeated that Etue will not lose her job over the incident.
“All of us in our lives make mistakes,” he said. “She was sincere in apologizing about it, and I view it as a learning opportunity. So, let’s all learn from it, in addition to the colonel.”
The review focuses on whether Etue violated herdepartment’s social media policy. Since she is in charge of the department, the decision on whether to discipline her goes to the governor.
The Michigan Legislative Black Caucus and the Detroit branch of the NAACP have called for Etue to step down or be removed. Snyder says he plans to keep her on through the end of his administration.
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— Rick Pluta is the Managing Editor and Reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network. Contact WEMU News at734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
