A Grand Traverse County arts institution is at the heart of a mounting power struggle in the Michigan House of Representatives. Speaker Matt Hall removed Democratic Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou from all committee assignments just one day after she publicly demanded an investigation into the school’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Removal
Hall, R-Richland Township, stripped Tsernoglou, D-East Lansing, of her seats on the House Oversight Committee, the Public Health and Food Insecurity Oversight Subcommittee, and her position as minority vice chair of the State and Local Assistance Programs Oversight Subcommittee.
The move is rare in Michigan politics. The last time a House speaker removed a lawmaker from all committee assignments was in 2024, when then-Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, stripped Rep. Josh Schriver, R-Oxford Township, of his posts after Schriver shared a graphic promoting the debunked Great Replacement Theory.
Tsernoglou said she learned of her removal from House Democratic leadership before it was formally read into the record. She said there is no known appeals process.
"I hosted a press conference calling on him to pass the resolution to investigate the ties between Epstein and Interlochen just this past Tuesday. And then following that Wednesday morning, I was removed from all of my committees," Tsernoglou said. "The timing speaks for itself."
Hall’s Explanation
Hall denied the removal was connected to Tsernoglou’s Epstein investigation push. He told reporters the decision was based on what he described as disruptive behavior during a May 15 meeting of the State and Local Assistance Programs subcommittee.
"I don’t care about her press conference. I wasn’t even aware of her press conference. This is solely based on the decision, based on the body of work that I saw in the committee," Hall said.
Hall pointed to an exchange between Tsernoglou and subcommittee chair Rep. Jason Woolford, R-Howell, during testimony from Unemployment Insurance Agency Director Jason Palmer. Hall said Tsernoglou challenged the committee chair on bills not before the committee.
"We’re not going to have Democrat members act unruly and out of order in the committee. So, I removed her from all committees and subcommittees," Hall said.
Tsernoglou disputed the characterization. She said her questioning of committee chairs predates the removal by weeks and that her exchanges with Woolford are not unusual for oversight work.
"I sit on three of the House oversight committees, and I asked questions, which I think is our job," Tsernoglou said. "Sometimes my questions are not fitting his narrative of waste, fraud and abuse because there’s not always waste, fraud and abuse to be found in every topic."
Tsernoglou also accused Hall of a pattern of silencing lawmakers who challenge leadership.
"He does have a history of silencing women who speak up and challenge his opinions," she said.
The Interlochen Investigation Push
The controversy centers on House Resolution 284, a bipartisan measure that would create a six-member select committee to investigate Jeffrey Epstein’s connections to the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Grand Traverse County.
The resolution has 44 co-sponsors in addition to Tsernoglou. Republican co-sponsors include Rep. Jaime Greene of Richmond, Rep. William Bruck of Erie Township, and Rep. Brad Paquette of Niles. Tsernoglou said additional Republicans supported an investigation but declined to co-sponsor out of concern about defying leadership.
Tsernoglou said she spoke directly with Hall on the House floor asking that HR 284 be brought to a vote. She said Hall told her he would consider it and consult with his staff.
The push follows a February NPR investigation that cited U.S. Department of Justice records and interviews with former Interlochen administrators. The report detailed how Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly used the arts boarding school to meet and groom some of their earliest victims during the 1990s.
One victim stated in a 2020 lawsuit against Epstein’s estate and Maxwell that she met both individuals at Interlochen when she was 13 years old and a student in the school’s voice program.
Interlochen’s Response
Interlochen officials have said the school severed ties with Epstein after learning of his 2008 conviction on prostitution-related charges involving a minor. The school conducted two internal reviews after the 2008 and 2019 convictions and found no reports of misconduct involving Epstein on campus.
However, administrators acknowledged that two individuals later publicly stated they met Epstein through Interlochen. The school invited former students to participate in an outside investigation into historical misconduct allegations.
In May 2024, Interlochen retained Sanghavi Law Office, a Massachusetts firm, to investigate allegations of misconduct related to Epstein’s ties to the school.
House Oversight Chair Rep. Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Township, declined to open a legislative investigation in a May 14 letter to Tsernoglou. DeBoyer cited the ongoing private review and wrote that the Legislature should "avoid actions that could unintentionally interfere with or complicate that process."
Tsernoglou challenged that reasoning.
"I find that to be very interesting and disingenuous since they investigated several incidents where they actually did interfere directly with police investigations that were ongoing," she said.
A Building Comes Down
Separately, the Interlochen Board of Trustees approved a plan to raze the Green Lake Lodge, a building that was previously named Epstein Lodge until 2009. Epstein was a major donor to the center from 1990 to 2003 and attended the school’s summer camp in 1967. He contributed more than $400,000 to the institution.
Maureen Oleson, director of communications for Interlochen Arts Group, said the board determined that removing the structure was the right step.
"Green Lake Lodge has, over time, come to carry associations that are not reflective of who we are as an institution or the values we strive to uphold," Oleson said in a statement.
What Happens Next
Tsernoglou said she was warned before Tuesday’s press conference that retaliation was possible.
"Someone did say to me, ‘You know, you’re probably going to get retaliated against for this.’ And I was like, ‘I might, but this is the right thing to do,’" she said.
The resolution remains on the House calendar. Hall has not scheduled a vote. Tsernoglou said she expects the Legislature to focus on budget work through the end of June, with limited session days anticipated until after the November election.