Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat, embattled lawmakers accused of misconduct and misusing taxpayer resources to hide their extra-marital affair, are no longer representatives in the Michigan House.
Courser, R-Lapeer, resigned at 3:12 a.m. on Friday as the House prepared for a third vote on a resolution to expel him from office.
One hour later, the House voted 91-12 to expel Gamrat, R-Plainwell, making her just the fourth lawmaker ever to be removed from the Michigan Legislature by her peers.
Gamrat was immediately escorted from the chambers, and then the state Capitol, by House sergeants. She declined to speak with the media.
Courser, who spoke with reporters after turning in his resignation letter to the House clerk and walking off the floor, said it simply felt like the appropriate moment to step down. He was convinced the GOP majority was going to find enough Democratic votes to expel him.
As I am sure many of you remember Courser planned to inoculate himself against charges that he was banging his fellow legislator by launching a smear campaign against himself which would accuse him of having been caught having sex with a male prostitute.
Which kind of sounds more like an episode of Alpha House than it does an actual plan in the real world.
Unfortunately for Courser he was caught on tape making those plans for the smear campaign, and that was essentially that.
And of course the cherry on top is that both Garner and Courser were holier than thou Christian moralists who were adamantly against gay marriage,
Which has now become the easiest to spot plot twist ever.
Can anyone break it down for me why Kim Davis can't be fired like this?
ReplyDelete'Cause she's elected, not hired. And they didn't fire, they expelled. And KY's probably not going to expell/impeach a fundamentalist christian. JMO.
DeleteBut why can't Kim be expelled by some governing body? Weren't Courser and Gamrat elected, too?
DeleteIf her constituents are OK with it (and apparently she is experiencing some backlash from her hometown peeps), why can't she be expelled strictly on the grounds she refuses to do what she was sworn to uphold? This would be regardless of her reason.
Because oaths don't mean anything anymore.
DeleteI understand she can be removed by the legislature, but absent a special session (which is unlikely), they don't meet again until January.
DeleteWell, now that they're at liberty, let's see how fast Courser and Gamrat rush to Davis's side in Kentucky to bask with Huck and Cruz and the Oath Keepers. I'm sure by now have both have prostrated themselves before Jesus, got their convenient forgiveness and have a clean slate again. It's like magic, doncha know?
ReplyDeleteAnd while these two schmucks are messing around with each other and the media, the Michigan roads and bridges continue to crumble into oblivion because the GOP legislature and governor's office lack the courage to roll back the tax relief (!!!???) for wealthy corporations and individuals. I sure hope our electorate votes against every GOP incumbent in every state of the Union and sends the GOP lunatics in Congress packing too.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
Yes, they didn't even bother to come up with a plan b, when their "solution" to raise sales tax fell though.
DeleteI still want to know what happened to the billion dollars surplus the King Rick was bragging about during the campaign. The media certainly hasn't asked him about it.
The more sanctimonious they sound - the more suspicious I get.
ReplyDeleteOld saying: "The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons [silver]."
DeleteThis just buggers comprehension.
ReplyDeleteThis is my state, and this is just sad. And he barely admitted he did anything wrong, and SHE refused to resign. A couple of sanctimonious creeps...I hope we get Dems in their places.
ReplyDeleteWell they're saved by the bible stories, so anything goes. It's like Jesus is Mr Clean, and he wields a magic sin eraser.
ReplyDeleteThe same type that rail against Marriage Equality and swear it's ruining their heterosexual unions. Hypocrites
Of course, if history is any indication, these two will run again, cry on TV while apologizing and then win back their seats. Well, he can try. I'm not sure the state's laws will allow her to since she was expelled.
ReplyDeleteI still want to know what was in the report from the investigation that the republicans are refusing to release. The newspapers even requested in under FOIA.
ReplyDeleteAlso it was proven that they used taxpayer money for they little tryst/cover-up, so far I haven't read anything about them having to pay it back.
Our legislature conveniently passed a law exempting themselves and the governor's office from FOIA. The reason the Republicans rushed this through was to cover Speaker of House Kevin Cotter's butt. He knew about this months ago and didn't do anything until it was made public. The Democrats used their leverage to get the Republicans to agree to an independent investigation in exchange for the Democratic votes needed to oust the lovebirds.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Michigan also, too, and agree with your comment re Kevin Cotter.
DeleteAlso too, allegations that this wasn't Todd (Teabugger) Courser's first self ratf*ck maneuver. Previously at Wonkette:
ReplyDeletehttp://wonkette.com/592784/michigan-teabagger-fornicator-also-accused-himself-of-child-molestation-for-jesus
Michigan Teabagger Fornicator Also Accused Himself Of Child Molestation, For Jesus by Doktor Zoom Aug 11 10:15 am 2015
"A Michigan political blogger says this isn’t Courser’s first attempt at Nixonian ratfucking: Last year, during an extremely close Republican primary for the 82nd state House district, Courser allegedly faked a smear campaign against himself, claiming that some unknown enemy had distributed fliers accusing him of being a child molester. We’re sure Courser, a raving rightwing Tea Party loony who can’t go five minutes without invoking his Christian values, should have a heck of a compelling explanation for this accusation too, like maybe a high-level plot against him by the enemies of Jesus."
Rights for ALL. Can not wait to see this film:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.salon.com/2015/09/12/freeheld_director_peter_sollett_on_marriage_equality_and_the_ongoing_fight_for_lgbt_rights_i_hope_this_film_reminds_us_why_its_important_to_protect_this/