A pair of Michigan state lawmakers accused of having an extramarital affair were forced out of office early Friday, following a botched coverup attempt.
The state’s House of Representatives voted to expel Rep. Cindy Gamrat, the Detroit Free Press reports, while Rep. Todd Courser — who allegedly attempted to fabricate a smear campaign against himself to deflect rumors of his relationship with Gamrat — tendered his resignation.
The pair, both Republicans allied with the Tea Party, admitted to misconduct in office, but asked for mercy by censure rather than full expulsion. Though Courser resigned, Gamrat tried to stay but was voted out by the Michigan House 91-12 after a 14-hour session.
Audio recordings of Courser surfaced last month, in which he can reportedly be heard trying to persuade staffers to circulate an anonymous “false flag” email saying he had been caught having sex with a male prostitute, that he was allegedly intending to use as evidence of a campaign to blacken his name.
Courser has claimed in the recordings and in Facebook posts that he was being blackmailed and that the anonymous e-mail was an attempt to fish out the suspect.
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