DEARBORN, Mich. – Michigan Sen. Bert Johnson spoke with Local 4 Tuesday after FBI agents and state police troopers raided his home and office.
Agents carried boxes of documents and a computer from Johnson's Highland Park home while executing a search warrant. Some pieces of furniture were also torn apart.
Johnson has spent most of his adult life in Lansing, and he said he's a decidedly changed man after committing an armed robbery and a breaking and entering as a teenager.
On Tuesday, he was adamant that his past and present have not merged, despite the 7 a.m. raid by the FBI on Monday.
"(I was) very surprised and even disappointed," Johnson said. "Had they called, we would have been willing to meet with them and turn over any documents they may have been looking for."
The two-term Second District senator went to work Tuesday in Lansing as if nothing had happened, but it's the elephant in the room. He's under investigation, and it's no small matter.
"You know when something like this happens, you hire competent counsel and you put them in place," Johnson said. "You start the discussion and you start trying to understand what it is they want."
It's unclear exactly what officials are looking into. Johnson has had prior election finance bill-paying issues, and while he filed for bankruptcy 12 years ago, he said he didn't go through with it and paid his bills.
"I've worked really hard to sort of build a good reputation and maintain it in the community, and I'm thankful for that," Johnson said. "It's been the job of a lifetime, but the truth is, we're looking to try to understand what it is they're even investigating."
Johnson said he's done nothing wrong, and he has a lot more to say, especially about his prior debts. He said he'll be speaking out more at length in the days to come.