Felony Charge Refiled By Michigan AG Against Todd Courser In Affair Cover-Up Scheme
LANSING (WWJ) - The Michigan Attorney General's office has refiled a felony charge against former Republican Representative Todd Courser.
It's the same felony charge that went before an Ingham County judge who stated that it wasn't in their jurisdiction.
So, Michigan AG Bill Schuette on Wednesday, charged Courser with a common law felony for allegedly soliciting the help of a state House of Representative aide in May 2015 "to send out a false email for public dissemination in order to cover up an extra-martial affair," according to the charging document noted by The Detroit News.
Courser, a Republican who came into office with tea party backing, left office in disgrace after a botched attempt to cover-up an affair with Republican Representative Cindy Gamrat. He resigned last year in order to avoid expulsion over the issue. The House expelled Gamrat.
Undaunted by the Michigan State Police investigation into misconduct in office — Courser and Gamrat ran unsuccessfully for their former House seats.
While still facing criminal charges in connection with the above scandal — Courser announced his run for Lapeer County prosecutor in April.
In the recording, which was part of Courser's undoing, he said he wanted his 25-year-old office worker to send an email about himself to Republican operatives, alleging that he had been caught having sex with a male prostitute behind a Lansing nightclub.
Courser, 43, said on the recording that the email was designed to create "a complete smear campaign" of exaggerated, false claims about him so when his alleged affair with Gamrat, 42, came to light, it would seem "mild by comparison," according to the newspaper report.
"I need a controlled burn," Courser, a father of four children, said repeatedly throughout the conversation. "I need it to be over the top."
The email was apparently prompted after Courser and Gamrat were contacted by someone who threatened to expose their relationship.
"I need to, if possible, inoculate the herd against gutter politics that are coming," Courser said at the time.
The socially conservative Courser and Gamrat rose from tea party activism and battled establishment Republicans to win seats in the House in 2014 before forming a legislative coalition together and eventually both left office in disgrace.
A hearing date has not been set. Course claims he is innocent on his Facebook post -- and says all of Schuette's "botox has gone to his head."
