Recordings: State rep asked aide to hide relationship

[Blue_Tires]

Source: Detroit News

Lansing — State Rep. Todd Courser planned the distribution of a fictional email alleging he had sex with a male prostitute in a bid to conceal his relationship with Rep. Cindy Gamrat, according to audio recordings obtained by The Detroit News.

Courser, a Lapeer Republican, said on one recording the email was designed to create “a complete smear campaign” of exaggerated, false claims about him and Gamrat so a public revelation about the legislators’ relationship would seem “mild by comparison.”

Interviews with former House employees and the recordings show freshman lawmakers Courser and Gamrat, R-Plainwell, used their taxpayer-funded offices to maintain and cover up their relationship. Courser, 43, and Gamrat, 42, rose from the ranks of tea party activism, battled establishment Republicans to win seats in the House last year and formed their own legislative coalition.

A now-former House aide recorded Courser in mid-May directing him to send Republican activists and operatives an email that would appear to be from an anonymous political enemy that said Courser had been “caught behind a Lansing nightclub” having sex with a man.

Read more: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2015/08/06/recordings-state-rep-asked-aide-hide-relationship/31269315/

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So desperate to hide his affair he was actually about to pretend to be a homosexual??

[skepticscott]

1. "Legislative coalition"?

Is that what they call it now...instead of "hiking the Appalachian Trail"?

[TygrBright]

2. WTF?!?! "What's goin' on in that head of yours....?" n/t

[DonnaM]

3. I just finished reading the entire article via your link.

I'm amazed - you cannot make this stuff up. These people are nuts. No wonder they gravitated to each other.

[left-of-center2012]

4. From the linked article

"The pair are socially conservative legislators who often invoke their Christian faith ..."

"... a fictional email alleging he had sex with a male prostitute in a bid to conceal his relationship with (a woman)"
(Better to be suspected of being gay than an adulterer - my comment)

[SpankMe]

5. People get desperate.

A guy I used to work with claimed to be gay, and even hired a male escort (non-sexual) to be publicly seen with on a date, just to generate "cause" to divorce his wife. It was quite an elaborate deception. (There are a lot of other details.)

It worked. He's now in another town dating women. I wonder if his ex has any recourse for an increase in the divorce settlement since the basis of the divorce was a lie?

I claimed to be gay on 2 different occasions to have an excuse to decline dates with girls who asked me out, but who I really wasn't attracted to. (This was in college, long before I met my wife.)

When I was asked out, I just said no, but gave no reason. They persisted, and I started using excuses like, I wasn't interested in a relationship right now; I was distracted by school; I was dating someone else; I had appointments that conflicted with the date times, etc. I did everything not to tell the truth - that I was very much un-attracted to them. (One, unfortunately, was about 280 LBS.)

Nothing worked. They still came to me over and over again insisting on a date. I needed an excuse that was "permanent". So, I said I was gay and was dating a guy. That worked. I don't feel good about it, but I just couldn't tell a girl that I was severely un-attracted to her in part because she was almost 300 LBS.

[James48]

6. The real scandal isn't what happened under the covers. It’s what happened in the attempt to cover it

The real scandal isn't what happened under the covers.


It’s what happened in the attempt to cover it up.

Courser’s fantasy email (a fantasy that it would solve his problem) wouldn’t be an issue if he didn’t attempt to use taxpayer-funded staff time to draft it. I can’t even imagine having any boss I ever worked for asking me to use my time to draft an email that sounded like it belonged on the dark web. And that’s the point.

more:

http://www.progressmichigan.org/2015/08/courser-gamrat-sexcapade-not-the-issue/

[lark]

7. I bet their spouses disagree with that.

Hope they get taken to the cleaners and lose everything, it would be justice for those hypocrites.

[Sunlei]

8. More liars with 'Terrible Republican Values', more embarrassment for our USA Gov.

Courser, 43, and Gamrat, 42, rose from the ranks of tea party activism, battled establishment Republicans to win seats in the House last year and formed their own legislative coalition.