After being arrested last week, Michigan Rep. Neil Friske says he was framed

Michigan state Rep. Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix), who was arrested in Lansing last Thursday after allegedly chasing a stripper with a firearm, released a statement claiming that he was detained because of “false accusations.”

Friske released his statement on Facebook on Monday and maintained his innocence.

“What I can say is that the police were called, resulting in being detained due to false accusations,” said Friske in his statement. “However, upon initial investigation, no evidence was found to support the claims and I was subsequently released with no charges. I am confident that this investigation will totally exonerate me.”

Friske was arrested near his home while he reportedly had a firearm in his possession at 2:35 a.m. last Thursday morning after an altercation with an adult dancer. The Lansing Police Department released Friske on Saturday with no official charges. However, a report from the Detroit Free Press confirmed that Friske was arrested on the accusation of a felony level offense and that he is facing the possibility of charges related to sexual assault, weapons and assault pending an investigation.

In the hours following his arrest, Friske’s campaign released an official statement clarifying that the representative “is always exercising his 2^nd Amendment right.”

Friske, who is running for his second term in office this November, has represented Michigan’s 107^th district since January 2023 and is a senior member of the House’s far-right Freedom Caucus. Friske’s father Richard also briefly served in the Michigan Legislature from 1971-1972. Richard Friske immigrated to the United States after reportedly serving in the German army during World War II. Although he denied being a Nazi, Richard Friske did donate $1,500 to David Duke’s campaigns in the late 1990’s. Duke was labeled as the “most well-known racist anti-Semite” by the Anti-Defamation League and a member of the Ku Klux Klan.