In a recent development, Rema Vassar, the board chair of Michigan State University (MSU), has sought the assistance of outside legal representation in the ongoing investigation regarding the leaked identity of Brenda Tracy. The university documents confirm that although the lawyers are representing Vassar as an individual, the fees will be paid by the university.

Interestingly, the president, athletic director, and other board members have not retained outside counsel for the leak investigation, as per the response to a public records request from MSU. These details have become central to the ongoing attempts to remove Vassar from her position as board chair.

Trustee Brianna Scott, on Sunday evening, released a letter calling for Vassar's removal from the board, citing her refusal to allow investigators to review the contents of her cell phone as a major concern. This issue has raised alarms not only among MSU officials but also among Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Governor Whitmer expressed her concerns and stated that her office has been closely monitoring MSU's board while evaluating the possibility of removing Vassar based on Scott's allegations. Whitmer specifically highlighted Vassar's handling of the leak investigation as a troubling aspect, emphasizing the importance of compliance in investigating the unlawful leak of a victim's name.

Furthermore, Senator Debbie Stabenow and former Governor James Blanchard have released statements calling for Vassar's removal and expressing their concerns about her handling of the leak investigation.

The legal representation for Vassar in this investigation is being provided by the global law firm, Quinn Emanuel. It is notable that these are the same lawyers who conducted a $1.6 million investigation earlier this year for MSU's board regarding the controversial removal of former business dean Sanjay Gupta.

The agreement between Vassar and the firm reveals that the four attorneys involved in her case are billing between $841 and $1,585 an hour for their services in the investigation. Crystal Nix-Hines, the former U.S. ambassador to UNESCO, is the lead attorney representing Vassar. Nix-Hines also led the Gupta investigation for MSU's board and provided them with crisis management PR consulting services in Fall 2022.

Vassar engaged the services of these lawyers on September 16, shortly after the board received a draft statement from Tracy accusing "someone associated with the MSU board" of leaking her identity to the local media. Trustee Scott's letter claims that the board received even more specific information, suggesting that the leak originated from a current trustee. However, the source of this information has not been disclosed in the letter.

Vassar vehemently denies being the source of the leak, stating in a released statement that she had no involvement in the alleged leak and was unaware of any trustees knowing the identity of Brenda Tracy prior to its public dissemination.

While a copy of the agreement letter obtained through a public records request to MSU obscures Vassar's identity with redactions, other documents from the university confirm that Vassar is indeed the individual being represented by the appointed legal team.

This development has sparked discussions and debates on social media platforms. Share and engage in the conversation surrounding "MSU board chair hired her own lawyers for Tucker accuser leak investigation."

(Note: The article is generated based on the provided information and does not include any entities, numbers, or dates not mentioned in the original text.)