Update 3:11 p.m.
The Speaker of the House in the Michigan Legislature said state officials seized evidence from the offices of Rep. Cindy Gamrat, R-Plainwell, and Todd Courser, R-Lapeer, as part of their investigation into whether the two lawmakers used state resources to hide their relationship.
More from Chad Livengood and Leonard Fleming of the Detroit News:
“All of the evidence is protected,” Cotter told The Detroit News. “Nothing can be deleted. We have the servers. We have all of these things. So there’s nothing that’s at risk of being lost at this point.” Employees in the House Business Office began taking possession of documents, laptop computers and servers containing Courser and Gamrat’s state email accounts on Friday and continued over the weekend, Cotter said.
Original post 7:02 a.m.
Embattled state representative Todd Courser (R-Lapeer) has responded to allegations he tried to cover-up an affair with another state lawmaker with claims he had sex with a gay prostitute.
Courser released a long, sometimes rambling statement this morning in which he blames “the Lansing mafia” and his “enemies” for trying to “blackmail” him because of his political beliefs.
“I see this as the way the establishment machine gets everyone to do what they are told to do and have no one question their authority,” says Courser.
He also apologized to his family and the family of State Representative Cindy Gamrat.
“I don’t know at what point I can get past the guilt and shame I feel,” says Courser, “But first and foremost I have to ask for forgiveness from God and I have been doing that.”
The state legislature is investigating allegations that Courser and Gamrat misused their state staff to cover up their affair.
You can hear the entire audio statement here.
