2016 Democrat Party Primary
Sept 10, 2015 10:13:56 GMT -5
Post by philly on Sept 10, 2015 10:13:56 GMT -5
No surprise that outsiders like Trump and Carson are doing so well
LANSING — A special House committee voted 4-0 this morning to expel State Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat for misconduct and misuse of taxpayer resources after the two lawmakers were caught up in a sex and cover-up scandal.
The matter now moves to the full House of Representatives, which is anxious to have the controversy behind them, where they could take up the matter today on the fate of state Reps. Todd Courser, R-Lapeer, and Cindy Gamrat, R-Plainwell.
The two lawmakers, both tea party Republicans elected on a platform of Christian and family values, both have admitted to misconduct in office and misuse of taxpayer resources, but they've also apologized for their actions and asked the House committee to censure rather than expel them. Only three lawmakers in state history have been expelled from office. A censure could carry the loss of committee assignments staff and office expense allotments.
The scandal swirling around Courser and Gamrat had been rumored for months, but burst onto the public scene last month when audio recordings surfaced and revealed that Courser had asked his staff to send an anonymous, "false flag" e-mail that he had written, saying he was addicted to drugs and pornography, and paid for sex with men outside a Lansing bar. His staff refused to participate in the attempt to make it appear that Courser was the victim of a smear campaign and to downplay the affair he was having with Gamrat. But the e-mail still was widely sent around Lansing.
Courser, in the recordings and Facebook posts, has said he was being blackmailed and that the phony e-mails were an attempt to smoke out the person who was trying to get him to resign from office or risk having the evidence of the affair released to the public. He has released text messages he says both he and his brother have received from the supposed blackmailer.
LANSING — A special House committee voted 4-0 this morning to expel State Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat for misconduct and misuse of taxpayer resources after the two lawmakers were caught up in a sex and cover-up scandal.
The matter now moves to the full House of Representatives, which is anxious to have the controversy behind them, where they could take up the matter today on the fate of state Reps. Todd Courser, R-Lapeer, and Cindy Gamrat, R-Plainwell.
The two lawmakers, both tea party Republicans elected on a platform of Christian and family values, both have admitted to misconduct in office and misuse of taxpayer resources, but they've also apologized for their actions and asked the House committee to censure rather than expel them. Only three lawmakers in state history have been expelled from office. A censure could carry the loss of committee assignments staff and office expense allotments.
The scandal swirling around Courser and Gamrat had been rumored for months, but burst onto the public scene last month when audio recordings surfaced and revealed that Courser had asked his staff to send an anonymous, "false flag" e-mail that he had written, saying he was addicted to drugs and pornography, and paid for sex with men outside a Lansing bar. His staff refused to participate in the attempt to make it appear that Courser was the victim of a smear campaign and to downplay the affair he was having with Gamrat. But the e-mail still was widely sent around Lansing.
Courser, in the recordings and Facebook posts, has said he was being blackmailed and that the phony e-mails were an attempt to smoke out the person who was trying to get him to resign from office or risk having the evidence of the affair released to the public. He has released text messages he says both he and his brother have received from the supposed blackmailer.