State Rep. Cindy Gamrat with son Joey

By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)

For those who have not seen it, here is the MIRS piece RECEBTLY in which they discuss State Rep. Cindy Gamrat's outrageous removal from the caucus.

Notice the allegation regarding Gamrat and WMP? Straight from State Rep. Daniela Garcia I have no doubt.

"Another source said that conservative blogger Brandon HALL had accompanied Gamrat to the closed-door caucus meeting on Wednesday.

But Hall, who runs the blog West MI Politics and broke the news this afternoon that Gamrat had been kicked out of the caucus, said he had simply followed some House members he saw into the building.

Hall, who was downtown for a rally against Proposal 1, said he thought the building was part of the House Office Building, which is next door.

Eventually, Hall said, Rep. Daniela GARCIA (R-Holland) noticed him at the meeting, and after he was flagged and realized it was a private event, he left. Hall said he went to the meeting on his own initiative."

Check out the article below, shared with permission from MIRS:

State Rep. Cindy Gamrat Kicked Out Of House GOP Caucus Sessions

While House Republicans wouldn't provide official reasons why the move was made, a Republican source said it came after a "long line" of events and complaints from other members about, among other things, publicly revealing information discussed in GOP caucus meetings.

Gamrat herself said her expulsion came because of a Facebook post she made during one of the closed-door sessions on Wednesday.

"Listening to subcommittees reviewing their budgets," Gamrat wrote in her post Wednesday. "How do we get to free market solutions when our starting point is Medicaid and more and more government programs being funded, from daycares to dental programs to Planned Parenthood."

According to multiple sources, the House Republicans held an off-site caucus meeting at the Christman Building in downtown Lansing on Wednesday to go over the budget proposal.

Gamrat's post came as lawmakers were presenting their subcommittee proposals for their colleagues in what was supposed to be a private setting.

But a handful of GOP sources told MIRS today that Gamrat's expulsion was not about a single Facebook post. Other said complaints that she was letting secret information out had been floating as well.

"There's been a whole series of issues with Rep. Gamrat that have got Republican members complaining to leadership and others for a while," once source said. "This last event is just one more in a long line."

One example given came in November, when Gamrat wrote a legislative update in which she wrote about caucus procedures.

"The rules of the caucus are that of confidentiality and what happens in caucus stays in caucus," she wrote. "We are even asked to put our phones away and to not text or make calls from the caucus room."

Another source said that conservative blogger Brandon HALL had accompanied Gamrat to the closed-door caucus meeting on Wednesday.

But Hall, who runs the blog West MI Politics and broke the news this afternoon that Gamrat had been kicked out of the caucus, said he had simply followed some House members he saw into the building.

Hall, who was downtown for a rally against Proposal 1, said he thought the building was part of the House Office Building, which is next door.

Eventually, Hall said, Rep. Daniela GARCIA (R-Holland) noticed him at the meeting, and after he was flagged and realized it was a private event, he left. Hall said he went to the meeting on his own initiative.

House Republican leadership isn't commenting on why Gamrat was kicked out of the caucus by Speaker Kevin COTTER (R-Mt. Pleasant).

"…We've got a long-standing rule: what happens in caucus stays in caucus," Gideon D'ASSANDRO, Cotter's spokesperson, said.

Gamrat herself confirmed the news that she was booted from caucus meetings this afternoon.

House GOP leadership kicked conservative Rep. Cindy GAMRAT (R-Plainwell) out of future closed-door caucus meetings today.

"Today I was informed that the Facebook post, attached below, was a violation of the sanctity of the caucus, and was told by the Speaker of the House that I was no longer welcome as a participant in the weekly Republican caucus meeting," Gamrat posted.

"In no way did I reveal anything confidential from the meeting, and I have never violated the integrity of our caucus," she continued. "I may disagree on issues with my colleagues, but I respect the trust between us."

Gamrat, a first-term House member, is a former Tea Party organizer and a vocal conservative, who has often disagreed publicly with her Republican colleagues.

She is also candidate for Michigan's open Republican national committeewoman position, and she's an opponent of Proposal 1, which would increase the sales tax to improve roads.

In fact, Keith ALLARD, a staffer for Gamrat, leads one of the ballot committees that are opposing the proposal.

Some conservatives voiced frustration about Gamrat's dismissal from the caucus today.

"They say they want unity then they purge Cindy Gamrat from the caucus," Hall said, for instance. He continued, "They want to sweep it under the rug and act like nothing happened."

Even U.S. Rep. Justin AMASH (R-Cascade Twp.), a former state legislator, got in on the action.

"It appears a rep can be booted from the Michigan House GOP Caucus for expressing the opinion government is too big," Amash tweeted.

Blogger battles with state Rep over secret GOP meetings

Candidate for RNC expelled from caucus

Tea party state Rep. Cindy Gamrat kicked from House Republican caucus

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Brandon Hall is a lifelong political nerd from Grand Haven, and is the Managing Editor of West Michigan Politics.
>>>Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com

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