LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Democratic Secretary of State-turned- gubernatorial hopeful Jocelyn Benson has a message for critics: giving a press conference in a government building’s lobby is not the political offense some are itching to make it out to be.

In a February 6th letter to the Attorney General’s office responding to a complaint against Benson, her attorney Mark Brewer with the law firm Goodman Acker P.C. cast aside the complaint in Charette v. Benson like last week’s junk mail, saying that the complaint against her should be dismissed.

Public lobby interview sparks legal and political tensions.

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The drama stems from Benson holding interviews in the public lobby of the Richard Austin Building – an area her legal team insists is fair game, since it’s where candidates routinely gather for media ops. Brewer even noted that he’s been doing interviews in the lobby of the building on behalf of Benson and other clients for years and no one called the campaign police.

Brewer defends Benson’s lobby chatter as protected speech.

Brewer further argued that Benson wasn’t “acting for a public body” during the interviews and was on her personal time, campaigning to be governor in a public lobby.

He goes on to say, “As political speech, Ms. Benson’s campaign activities enjoy the highest level of First Amendment protection. As the Michigan Supreme Court has long held, ‘discussions of public issues and debate on the qualifications of candidates are integral to the operation of the system of government established by our Constitution.’”

In summary: Benson spoke publicly, on her own dime and time, funding her roadshow without state resources. Or, to borrow from Notting Hill, she was simply a girl, standing in a government lobby, pleading for press attention.