Courser: Heart Condition, Not Romantic Tryst, Led to Missed Committee Meetings

Rep. Todd Courser, R-Lapeer, and Rep. Cindy Gamrat, R-Plainwell. (Photos via Michigan House)

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A select committee on Tuesday began its inquiry into the fitness of state Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat to continue serving after the two freshman lawmakers were caught in an extramarital affair and coverup.

The committee adjourned almost as quickly as it convened after approving rules of conduct into the inquiry of the conduct of Courser, R-Lapeer, and Gamrat, R-Plainwell.

Courser, who has not spoken with reporters about the proceedings, remained defiant on social media.

In a long Facebook post Courser said he couldn’t comment on the evidence against him because he hasn’t seen the the full House Business Office report, which is confidential.

But he said the “sanitized” report glosses over the conduct of two former staff members who were fired in July. They claimed they were let go because they refused to take part in an elaborate scheme involving the distribution of a phony email claiming Courser had been caught having sex with a male prostitute behind a Lansing night club.

Courser said there’s much more to the story. He wrote:

“So if you water this all down, one thing that is striking to me, is that the report says I was apparently credible enough to ‘relieve these staffers of their employment,’ and apparently justified in letting them go, but the report says I am untrustworthy and deceitful in explaining why I let them go? So which is it? So apparently, per the report, my assessment was good enough to have them removed, but it is now their word that is trusted? There were many legitimate reasons for their removal, which this report refuses to disclose; these former employees were not asked to cover up anything; they are simply disgruntled former employees, who are ‘former’ for very legitimate reasons.”

In the post that followed, Courser had harsh words for the two fired workers – Keith Allard and Ben Graham – and detailed some of the reasons he claims they were dismissed. A third aide, Joshua Cline, resigned this spring as a matter of conscience.

Courser suggested that he has been targeted by lawmakers because he’s an “activist legislator” and that the proceedings against him are “a political hit.” He said only two Michigan lawmakers in history have been expelled from office, one for felony embezzlement of $24,00 and a second for multiple drunken driving convictions and allegations of spousal abuse.

“Does the evidence being provided against me rise to this standard or is another standard being applied here – if so why?” he wrote.

Courser also disclosed for the first time that he has a heart condition that caused him to miss committee meetings:

“I have avoided sharing this even as I am working through it. It is not something someone would normally share in a political life, but it is probably time. I have a heart condition, for which I am seeing a cardiologist, it that allows me to maintain my blood pressure, even as my heart rate drops off in a moment by half or more and causes a feeling that I am in cardiac arrest, even as I appear to be functioning normally to everyone around me; this can last a few minutes or a couple of hours. In these moments, I will normally just find a spot to lie down until it passes, but sometimes that just has not been possible. It is something that has been with me for a long time.”

Gamrat, meanwhile, said she thinks voters should determine her fitness to serve, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Speaking to reporters at Tuesday’s opening meeting of the committee, she said:

“I still believe that it’s important to take responsibility for your actions and not be held responsible for the actions of others. And I think that’s for my voters to decide,” she said. “I still get support letters every day in the mail telling me not to resign. I’m weighing everything out and there’s a lot to consider. It’s a big decision. I’m here to weigh it all out and take it day by day, but ultimately, I think it’s for my voters to decide.”

She said she attended the opening meeting because she wants her colleagues in the House “to know that I want to be part of the solution moving forward so we can get this taken care of and get back to the business of the people of Michigan.”

“It’s not easy, trying to understand the process letter and the allegations that have been brought against me better so I can help be part of the solution,” she said.

Catch Up on This Story:

• State Rep Wanted to Cover Up Affair With Fake Gay Sex Scandal
• Rep. Courser’s Brother Posts Alleged Blackmail Texts Online
• Not My Finest Moment’ – State Rep Apologizes for Fake Sex Scandal Scheme
• Legislators Not Quitting, Ex-Aide Shares Steamy Details of Affair
• Lawmakers OK Inquiry into House Sex Scandal and Cover-Up
• Select Committee to Decide Fate of Lawmakers in Sex Scandal: Read the Report

The chair of the select committee is Rep. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, and Rep. Kurt Heise, R-Plymouth, is vice chairman. Other members are Rep. Rob VerHeulen, R-Walker; Rep. Andrea LaFontaine, R-Columbus Township; Rep. John Chirkun, D-Roseville; and Rep. Frank Liberati, D-Allen Park.

Below, see Courser’s Facebook post.