Disputed Trump-backed Michigan GOP chairman invested thousands in company disposing aborted fetal remains

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FIRST ON FOX: The newly elected chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, whose election is currently being disputed, invested thousands in a company targeted by pro-life activists for taking part in the disposal of fetal remains from abortion clinics, a financial disclosure obtained by Fox News Digital shows.

According to the 2017 disclosure filed with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., invested as much as $50,000 in Stericycle, Inc., one of the nation's leading medical waste disposal companies that serviced abortion clinics like Planned Parenthood.

Despite a policy that it does not accept fetuses from clinics as medical waste, Stericycle reportedly disposed of such tissue from clinics across North America for years, making it the subject of a number of protests by local pro-life groups, including in 2019 by the group Grand Rapids Right to Life.

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The group had previously reportedly cut ties with hundreds of abortion centers, reiterating its policy against hauling aborted fetal waste, but continued servicing Planned Parenthood facilities while requiring them to certify no such remains were included in the refuge it transports.

Despite that, the continued ties with abortion centers has driven further protests against the company over the years. In 2012, then-Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney also faced criticism for being part of an investment group, Bain Capital, that reportedly invested millions in Stericycle.

When reached for comment, Hoekstra referenced his record as a staunchly pro-life member of the House. "I am opposed to abortion and believe I was scored at 100% pro-life voting record for most if not all of my eighteen years in Congress," he told Fox News Digital.

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Protesters with Grand Rapids Right to Life protest outside Stericycle, Inc., a medical waste company that faced criticism for its role in disposing fetal remains from abortion clinics. (Screenshot/Grand Rapids Right to Life Facebook)

"My brokerage account managed by an outside investment adviser does not hold any Servicycle stock," he added, but did not respond to questions concerning whether he agreed with the company's past transportation of fetal remains.

Hoekstra served nearly two decades in Congress before being appointed as U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands by former President Donald Trump, where he served from 2018-2021. He was elected as the new chair of the Michigan Republican Party on Jan. 20 by a faction of state party committee members that voted to oust chairwoman Kristina Karamo earlier this month.

The contention came about over a split in ideological differences within the organization, but has yet to be resolved since Karamo has refused to accept the vote and argues she is still in charge of the party.

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Former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., speaks during Herman Cain's Revolution on the Hill Tax Day Rally in Washington on Monday, April 16, 2012. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Lawyers with the Republican National Committee, however, maintain that she was "properly removed."

Trump waded into the dispute over the weekend, expressing his support for Hoekstra in a post on Truth Social.

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"I look forward to working with Ambassador Pete Hoekstra as Chairman of The Republican Party of Michigan. He is a winner who was a GREAT Congressman from Michigan and, likewise, did a fantastic job as Ambassador to the Netherlands. Pete will make The Republican Party of Michigan GREAT AGAIN, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be its Chairman — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!" he wrote.