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Former Michigan Governor John Engler.
Garbage human and former GOP governor John Engler has resigned from his post as interim president of Michigan State University. His announcement came several days after controversial comments about Larry Nassar's sexual assault victims, some of who he said were "enjoying" the "recognition."
The announcement also came after MSU trustee Brian Mosallam said early Wednesday, "John Engler's reign of terror is over." Mosallam's comment suggested that the MSU Board of Trustees had the votes to fire Engler at a planned Thursday morning board meeting.
Engler made the statement about Nassar victims to The Detroit News editorial board on Friday, though The News piece didn't highlight Engler's insensitivity and instead focused on other issues around the case.
"You’ve got people, they are hanging on and this has been … there are a lot of people who are touched by this, survivors who haven’t been in the spotlight," Engler told The News. "In some ways, they have been able to deal with this better than the ones who’ve been in the spotlight who are still enjoying that moment at times, you know, the awards and recognition."
On Saturday, an Engler spokesperson said that the comment was "ill-advised."
Notably, this isn't the first time that Engler has attacked victims of sexual assault. Last year, he accused a Nassar victim of taking kickbacks from a trial attorney. As governor, Engler fought hard against a lawsuit brought by hundreds of female inmates who had been raped by state corrections officers. Despite Engler's efforts, it ended in what at the time was the largest payout in state history.
The MSU Board of Trustees appointed Engler early last year after former president Lou Anna Simon stepped down amid accusations that she ignored warnings about Nassar.
At the time, the board was split 4-4 among Democrats and Republicans, but Democrat Joel Ferguson flipped and joined Republicans to support Engler's appointment.
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