Select Committee to Decide Fate of Lawmakers in Sex Scandal: Read the Report

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Two Michigan state representatives embroiled in a sex scandal are guilty of misconduct in office through deceptive, deceitful and dishonest actions, the nonpartisan House Business Office said in a report released Monday.

Reps. Todd Courser, R-Leeper, and Cindy Gamrat, R-Plainwell, were involved in an extramarital affair and tried to cover it up with a phony email sent to rank-and-file Republicans that claimed Courser, a vocal gay marriage opponent, had been caught having sex with a male prostitute behind a Lansing night club.

The House Business Office investigation was spurred by an Aug. 7 report by The Detroit News that outlined the scheme to cover up the affair.

The 40-page summary of the report attached to this story said neither Courser nor Gamrat is a credible witness. Their comments conflicted with evidence and audio recordings supplied by three former staff members – Keith Allard, Ben Graham and Joshua Cline – whose accounts were more believable, according to the report.

The report said the two freshmen lawmakers, who shared office space and some staff, tried to use their positions for political gain and to cover up their affair.

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

Both Allard and Graham were fired without any explanation in early July, but the House Business Office said they have no claim of wrongful termination. The third aide, Cline, resigned last spring.

In a news conference, Cline said the relationship between the Couser and Gamrat was so openly intimate that it created a hostile work environment. They would “routinely disappear for hours at a time” and shared intimate embraces. Courser sometimes napped in Gamrat’s office and she would tuck him in, Cline said.

However, the House Business Office said in its report that “the employees’ at-will terminations were handled by the Business Office through procedures consistent with other terminations within the Michigan House.

“Claims of a hostile work environment or violations of Michigan’s doctrine of at-will employment were not demonstrated by evidence provided during the investigation,” according to the report.

The two lawmakers, both of whom are married and have children, have apologized, but neither has resigned.

The report called for the convening of a select committee to determine their fitness the hold office.

Read the 40-page summary here.