According to the
House Business Office report, which was released Monday, Representative Todd
Courser (R-Silverwood) and Representative Cindy Gamrat (R-Plainwell) used state
resources in order to conceal their extramarital affair. The nine page summary
of the investigation states that Mr. Courser and Ms. Gamrat lied to the public
and the House Business Office during the investigation, broke multiple house
rules, and violated the campaign finance laws.
Following the release
of the report, Michigan Republican Party Chairwoman, Ronna Romney McDaniel,
called for the resignation of both Representatives, while Speaker of the House,
Kevin Cotter (R-Mount Pleasant), announced that the Select Committee to Examine
the Qualifications of Representatives Cindy Gamrat and Todd Courser would meet
on Tuesday. The Director of the House Business Office, Tim Bowlin, stated that
due to the campaign finance violations, the findings could be passed on to the
Department of State. Mr. Bowlin added that the special committee also had the
ability to pass the investigation along.
According to the
House Business Office the termination of Mr. Allard and Mr. Graham did not fall
under whistleblower protections, nor could it be considered wrongful, as they
were at-will employees. The investigation report also details multiple
instances in which Mr. Courser and Ms. Gamrat used state time and resources in
order to work on campaign related issues, and their disrespect for staff reached
unprofessional levels at times.
Additionally, the
investigation found that the two representatives broke House Rule 41, when they
forced staff members to forge their signatures on bluebacks for House Bill
4174, HB 4317, and HB 4318. According to sources the signatures were forged so
that Mr. Courser and Ms. Gamrat could introduce the bills before another
representative could do so.