Michigan Health Director Elizabeth Hertel gave some hint to the reasons for the dispute that ended with her predecessor, Robert Gordon, leaving his post and signing an unusual confidentiality agreement in exchange for $150,000. Asked in a Senate hearing whether his departure could have stemmed from a policy disagreement with Whitmer over how to fight COVID-19, Hertel answered, "Yes, it's possible." That makes sense. Gordon was charged with issuing the pandemic emergency orders after the state Supreme Court stripped that authority from Whitmer. Clearly, the governor was still calling the shots. And it's understandable that Gordon might not have wanted to take heat for orders issued under his name that he didn't support.