A Democratic lawmaker in Michigan has gotten a bad “wrap” after pulling a prank on a Republican colleague who she said had parked in her spot.
Rep. Julie Brixie’s floor-speaking privileges were revoked and her parking spot moved after she was caught on camera covering her colleague’s BMW in plastic wrap, a House Republican official told NBC News on Tuesday.
Brixie and House Democrats did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Republican official said the penalties, first reported by State Affairs, would remain in place for the foreseeable future.
The bizarre incident happened on April 17, when state Rep. Matt Maddock arrived to go to work at the Capitol and parked his car across two spots, one of which was Brixie’s, the official said.
Video of the parking area that was later released by House Republicans showed Brixie wrapping the midsection of the car in plastic wrap.
“My good colleague from the 51st district parked in two spots, including mine, to make sure no one hit his fancy car,” Brixie told The Detroit News earlier this month. “I Saran Wrapped it to give it an extra layer of protection.”
She then appeared to try to draw Maddock’s attention to her work by making an announcement on the House floor a short time after the wrapping. “I just came in from the parking ramp and there’s a black BMW” with a vanity license plate, Brixie said. “Your hood is open, your lights are on and your engine is running. Thank you.”
Maddock responded on social media later that day, saying Brixie “keeps trying to get my attention and I keep telling her I’m married.”
The penalties mean that Brixie cannot deliver official addresses or remarks on the House floor for the time being, and has to park much farther away.
Asked Tuesday if he and Brixie had exchanged apologies, Maddock said in an email, “She hasn’t apologized, but I wouldn’t expect her to since Democrats get to crime and never say sorry.”
“I can forgive her for pranking my car, but she should really be sorry for her awful votes that have been ruining Michigan,” he added.
Maddock’s wife, whose car he said he had borrowed that day, also ripped Brixie on social media on the day of the wrapping and announcement on the floor.
“Rep Brixie makes a false statement otherwise known as a LIE in the presence of the entire Michigan House, after wrapping my car in plastic wrap like a 13 year old girl,” Meshawn Maddock wrote in a post on X. “Democrats arent just soft on crime, like Brixie, they are crime.”
Meshawn Maddock, a former state Republican Party co-chair, is among those charged in the Michigan fake electors scheme related to President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss. She pleaded not guilty in the case and has said she believes the charges are politically motivated, The Associated Press reported.