State Rep. Jay DeBoyer, of Clay Township, issued the following statement after a Detroit News report disclosed that state Rep. Kristian Grant (D-Grand Rapids) misled Kent County officials regarding a previous tax filing. A Kent County administrator confirmed in the report that Grant claimed in 2023 to have filed amended 2019 tax returns for COVID-19 small business assistance aid given discrepancies that were found but had actually failed to do so. Following this reporting, Grant returned $5,000 in assistance money:

“Abuse of COVID relief money has been a focus of the Legislature over the past several years because elected officials in Lansing have a responsibility to use tax dollars responsibly and ensure assistance programs are working as intended. Given that, it’s extremely disappointing to see that a member of the Legislature used fuzzy math to receive relief dollars and then stuck to a story that wasn’t truthful years after the fact.

“Just because the money was returned after this was exposed doesn’t mean the representative isn’t guilty of defrauding Kent County. This is yet another embarrassing story of corruption coming from Lansing, and our poor standing nationally for government accountability and integrity takes another hit in the process.

“Given the representative’s seemingly delinquent misrepresentation and clear inconsistency with forms, along with the importance of accurate financial disclosure information, I am hopeful House leadership and the state Attorney General will look into this matter – but I don’t expect it. We must deliver a system of government that is open and accountable to people we represent. The right thing to do is resign if Rep. Grant has any integrity left.”