The leaders of the congressional House Oversight Committee sent Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, R, a letter Thursday, inviting him to revise his sworn 2016 testimony regarding the Flint water crisis and a related outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that contributed to at least 12 people's deaths, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Here are seven things to know.
1. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., sent the letter to Mr. Snyder after sworn testimony from one of the governor's aides made earlier this month contradicted his 2016 testimony.
2. In 2016, Mr. Snyder testified before the committee in Washington, D.C., that he learned of the Legionnaires' outbreak one day before he publicly announced the outbreak on Jan. 13, 2016.
3. However, Harvey Hollins III said the governor told him about the Legionnaires' outbreak in December while testifying in a criminal case related to the crisis Oct. 6. Mr. Hollins served as the governor's point person on the Flint water crisis.
4. "In order to resolve this discrepancy in recollection, please supply the committee with any additional relevant information you have concerning the date upon which you first learned of the Legionnaires' disease," wrote the congressmen in the letter addressed to Mr. Snyder, according to the Detroit Free Press. "If necessary, you may also choose to amend or supplement your testimony."
5. In his response to the letter, Mr. Snyder wrote, "My testimony was truthful and I stand by it. I have specifically reviewed the question and my answer referenced in your letter. While you have offered for me to clarify my sworn testimony, I do not believe there is any reason to do so."
6. The state criminally charged multiple public officials for their alleged roles in contributing to the water crisis. Notably, the state charged Nick Lyon, Michigan's director of Health and Human Services, with involuntary manslaughter and Eden Wells, MD, chief medical executive for the state health department, with obstruction of justice.
7. Legionnaires' disease is caused by Legionella bacteria. It is not spread through person-to-person contact or by drinking water, but by inhaling mist from contaminated water sources. Before the Flint water crisis garnered national attention, 92 confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease — including 12 fatal cases — occurred in Genesee County, Mich., from 2014 to 2015.
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