LANSING, Mich., May 20, 2026 — Today, state Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing) was removed from all of her committee appointments by Republican Speaker Matt Hall, one day after Tsernoglou hosted a press conference calling on House Republican leadership to hold a floor vote on her bipartisan resolution that would create a select committee to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s connections with the Interlochen Center for the Arts.
Following her removal, Tsernoglou released the following statement:
“Speaker Hall’s decision to remove me from all my committee’s is truly shocking. The Speaker of the House has decided to retaliate against me for daring to publicly ask him to investigate Jeffrey Epstein. While he decided to engage in a cover-up, I chose to stand with the victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein in calling for a bipartisan committee to investigate his ties with Interlochen. I chose to stand on the side of truth and facts. I chose to stand on the side of transparency and accountability. I chose to use my voice to stand up for assault survivors and against pedophiles. I will never stop using my voice to stand up for Michiganders, especially those who have been victimized by individuals in a position of power.”
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