MICHIGAN: Assistant AG Andrew Shirvell Fired Over Anti-Gay Stalking Campaign

Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell was fired this afternoon for his loony tunes campaign against openly gay University of Michigan student body president Chris Armstrong.

Shirvell was called before the attorney general’s staff at 1:30 p.m. today, said Philip Thomas, Shirvell’s attorney. “The only reason they gave was the fact that they felt his actions had made it impossible for him to continue in his role,” Thomas said. The Attorney General’s Office was not available for comment. Shirvell has been under fire for comments he made about University of Michigan student body President Chris Armstrong, who is openly gay. Shirvell has shown up at public events to condemn Armstrong’s “radical homosexual agenda.”

Shirvell met for four hours on Friday with a panel made up of officials from the Attorney General’s Office. Shirvell has claimed his actions were both protected by Constitutional rights of free speech and were conducted away from his work on off-hours. “I think it’s most unfortunate,” Thomas said. “This whole thing has a political aroma to me. I think my client is a victim of the liberal media piling on. In the first stories about this, (Attorney General Mike Cox) was quoted as saying that my client was doing this on his own time. What’s changed since then?”

Shirvell still faces a disbarment hearing due to a grievance filed by Armstrong's lawyer.