“In a controlled burn, you do a little bit of truth mixed in with a lot of lies" - Rep. Todd Courser on covering the affair
Michigan State Rep. Todd Courser and Rep. Cindy Gamrat, both tea party darlings and "traditional marriage" champions, have been exposed for having an affair. Their efforts to conceal their cheating ways from their spouses and the general public took a turn that can only be described as
bizarre:
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.”
And all of it was done on the public's dime:
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.
Like most of these tea party grifters, both ran on heavily religious themes, complaining about
religious liberty,
leading a fight to defund Planned Parenthood, and, of course, railing against
marriage equality:
America stands at a crossroads on marriage. Our U.S. Supreme Court will any day render it’s decision and may then throw out thousands of years of established understanding and in so doing grant the right to homosexual marriages. It would be an unconscionable decision made without Constitutional justification and over the will of the people. Five Justices can take it upon themselves to take the holy God inspired and the defined institution of marriage of being between one man and one woman and turn it into a government sanctioned institution that is now defined by the power of government. The ruling if it goes against the traditional understanding of marriage brings with it many long range unforeseen implications for society in America and for the rest of the world.
What's that about coveting thy neighbor's wife?
The entire plot was recorded by a former aide to Courser. In the recordings (which can be heard at The Detroit News, along with screenshots of text messages), Courser outlines the plan to "create a controlled burn" so the scandal wouldn't derail his plans to run for the U.S. Congress.
It's safe to say the resignations of Rep. Todd Courser and Rep. Cindy Gamrat can be expected sooner than later.
