Special counsel appointed to investigate Flint

Schuette’s office has launched a criminal investigation into the water emergency to see if any laws were broken, and he announced Monday that a former FBI chief and an ex-prosecutor will lead the probe and report directly to him.

Schuette named “tough” former Wayne County prosecutor Todd Flood as the special counsel of the investigation and “no nonsense” retired Detroit FBI chief Andrew Arena as another member of the team.

“Make no mistake about it, without fear and without favor, this independent investigation will be high performance and the chips fall where they may”, said Schuette, who had balked at a state investigation until after the Department of Justice began its own probe.

Schuette has the dual responsibility of representing the people of MI, as well as defending the state when sued.

Lawsuits against Republican Gov. Rick Snyder and the state will be supervised by Chief Deputy Attorney General Carol Isaacs and Chief Legal Counsel Matthew Schneider.

“The facts will lead us to the truth”, said Andrew Arena, the former director of the Detroit FBI office who oversaw much of the public corruption investigation of Detroit City Hall and former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Flood, who will spearhead the investigation, told reporters he was prepared for a thorough and lengthy investigation. “This investigation is about beginning the road back, to rebuild, regain and restore trust in government”, Schuette said in a statement ahead of a news conference scheduled for Monday morning. Arena now heads the Detroit Crime Commission, a nonprofit aimed at reducing criminal activity.

Other critics have wondered aloud if letting Schuette investigate Flint’s water dilemma presents a fox-watching-the-henhouse scenario.

A number of lawsuits have been filed against city and state officials. She said earlier this month that her office knew in April 2015 that Flint’s push to change its water supply could result in increased pipe corrosion and spiked lead levels.

Recent estimates have found that it may take up to 15 years and over $60 million to undo all the damage caused to the water system, and in the meantime, the state has ruled that residents may not sell their homes, as they are known to carry contaminated water. “I think what happened is that confidence in government was shattered, and I understand that”, Schuette said.