By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com)
*********WARNING! THE FOLLOWING STORY CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT AND IS NOT SUITABLE FOR SENSITIVE AUDIENCES. READER DISCRETION IS STRONGLY ADVISED.*********
State Rep. Neil Friske made international headlines recently after a dispute with a stripper from DejaVu in Lansing landed him in jail last Thursday before being released Friday morning as police continue to investigate the incident.
Friske, who is from Charlevoix and also represents Petoskey, Mackinac Island, and The Soo in the State House, chased the dancer away from his Lansing home while carrying a loaded gun. Though some reports mention shots being fired, all the neighbors who have been interviewed in the media say they didn't hear any.
According to Gateway Pundit, he says she robbed him of thousands of dollars in a briefcase, and tried to attack him with scissors while trying to kill him. According to charges being sought by LPD Detectives, she is alleging some sort of sexual assault. Many facts still remain unclear about exactly what happened at this time.
However, a blockbuster, statewide West Michigan Politics investigation reveals that Friske has a history of controversial relationships with women, including regularly paying for sexual encounters, as well as harassing former girlfriends--- one who was even granted a court order for her safety.
WMP spoke with women who have been involved with Friske---multiple ex-girlfriends, and a prostitute---reviewed sealed court records, and even analyzed and authenticated a phone Friske discarded.
The investigation also revealed that Friske, while in his mid 50's, had consensual sexual encounters with a young, "barely legal" distant relative from one of his parent's side of the family, which is relevant to this story given the power dynamics at play in the situation.
None of the women involved will be identified by name---for their own protection.
Friske: "I want your pu$$y NOW!"
-FROM THE FARMHOUSE TO THE STATE HOUSE
Friske first really came on to the political scene when Garrett Soldano hosted a big event at Friske Farms in Charlevoix in 2021.
In 2022, Friske defeated Parker Fairbairn in a closely watched, hotly contested primary for State Representative in the newly drawn 107th District. A contentious rematch of that primary is now underway.
The 107th is the only district with portions in both the Upper and Lower Peninsula, and includes Charlevoix, Petoskey, Boyne, Harbor Springs, East Jordan, Mackinac Island, St. Ignace, and The Soo.
Since taking office, Friske is known for voting "No" on almost every bill, often one of the only 2 or 3 in opposition---including voting against a ban on child marriage, as well as against a ban of non-consensual, AI generated porn. He even voted against renaming a highway in honor of Korean War Veterans.
Friske, who is the Secretary of the House Freedom Caucus, was strongly aligned with former Michigan Republican Party Chair Kristina Karamo, even going so far as to boo President Trump at a rally in February when he recognized Pete Hoekstra as the real Chair. Friske also spends a lot of time in Ottawa County political circles.
FRISKE BUSINESS: A HISTORY OF MAKING DEALS FOR SEX
Friske frequently negotiates deals for sex, as seen in the examples below.
Here, he asks a prostitute how much she charges for "fsbb."
FSBB, according to a prostitute familiar with Friske that WMP spoke with for this story, stands for "full service bare back."
That means the client, in this case Friske, wants to have vaginal and/or anal sex without a condom.
When the prostitute tells Friske she charges $450 for FSBB, he replies "woah that's a little steep" with a frowny face.
When she asks Friske how much he had in mind, he says $200. They settle on $250.
Here, Friske asks a woman what she had in mind for sexual "arrangements," and she replies she will have sex with him once a week for 2 hours for $1,000 a month:
During the course of the investigation, West Michigan Politics also discovered that Friske apparently had consensual sexual encounters with a "barely legal," distant relative through one of his parent's side of the family.
Here, they exchange explicit sexts:
"WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?"
Multiple former girlfriends WMP spoke with say Friske harassed them after they told him the relationship was over.
"He was everywhere, terrorizing me, stalking me," a Friske ex told WMP. "I was constantly in fear for my life."
Another woman said that Friske "would just randomly appear in all sorts of places" that "he could only know I was going by following me."
According to sealed court records, Friske's harassment of one woman was so bad, in 2016, a Charlevoix County Circuit Court Judge ordered him not to trespass on her property again---or face jail time.
Here, Friske is blowing up a woman's phone, asking her what she's afraid of:
Here, a woman makes it clear she doesn't want Friske contacting her anymore:
There's a lot to say about the evidence above, much of it conflicting with the public image Friske has long sought to cultivate.
Readers will have to make up their own mind on where they stand.
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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMIPolitics@Gmail.com
