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| Speaker of the Michigan House Kevin Cotter |
By Brandon Hall
(Email him at WestMiPolitics@Gmail.com)
Michigan Speaker of the House Kevin Cotter is certainly not part of a conspiracy to blackmail Todd Courser, but the Speaker has known for months that the State Rep. wrote the false flag email alleging he had sex with a gay prostitute as part of an effort to cover up his real life affair with fellow State Rep. Cindy Gamrat.
Cotter's Chief of Staff Nortm Saari told the Speaker about the situation on May 22nd after meeting with Ben Graham, a staff member for the legislators. It is unclear what evidence was handed over proving the false flag.
From the very beginning, on July 9, WMP has reported that Cotter and House Leadership knew that State Rep. Todd Courser sent the false flag email claiming he had sex with a gay prostitute, among other things contained in the insanely explicit correspondence...
Because of concerns about, among other things, the wishes of the staffers to try and work things out if at all possible-and yes-2016 politics, Speaker Kevin Cotter took no immediate action and let the process play out on its own.
Here's a flashback:
" Sources tell West Michigan Politics that State Rep. Todd Courser himself wrote the controversial and explicit attack email blasting Courser and State Rep. Cindy Gamrat earlier this year. Not only that, the House GOP leadership team was allegedly provided evidence of this fact, yet has taken no action because of 2016 politics. Also noteworthy: WMP can confirm Courser no longer attends House GOP Caucus meetings ever since Gamrat was booted from the caucus in mid-April.
"Total false flag," one source said of the "Courser attack email." "Total false flag." Neither source could say with certitude why Courser allegedly wrote the email. (That email is below. False flag "describes covert operations designed to deceive in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by entities, groups, or nations other than those who actually planned and executed them.")
The sources say House GOP leadership was given evidence Courser sent the email on Friday, May 22nd, two days after the email went out. Because of concerns over the impact the email and other issues could have on the 2016 election, as well as the impact on the careers of those who provided the info, they have not taken any action against Courser. Yet.
This is in part because ever since State Rep.Cindy Gamrat was booted out of the House GOP Caucus in April, a story first reported by WMP,Courser has refused to attend caucus sessions and meets with Gamrat or conducts other business instead, the sources said. That information has been confirmed by others also.
Previously, Courser said he wouldn't respond to allegations. He told WMP ""I don't comment on baseless rumors until someone on the record brings evidence."
>>>Cotter learned of the false flag email on May 22nd after his Chief of Staff, Norm Saari, informed him after meeting with former Gamrat/Courser aide Ben Graham May 21st.
The carefully worded statement from the Speaker's office does not deny Cotter knew about the email.
"The speaker’s office reiterated that “we don’t investigate affairs.”
“We heard nothing about any 1) recordings or 2) allegations of taxpayer resources being misused until The Detroit News story came out” Friday, Cotter spokesman Gideon D’Assandro said in an email.
“This isn’t the boy who cried wolf; this is the boy who cried Loch Ness Monster. He’s shown time and time again that he has zero credibility on this issue. He’s desperate and trying to point the finger at anyone but himself for the pain he’s caused.”"
In MLive's "Evolution Of A Sex Scandal," Ben Graham's meeting around May 21st with Saari is referenced. That meeting is right after Courser tried to get him to send the false flag email..
"May 20, 2015
Republican activists and members of the media, including MLive, receive a salacious email alleging that Courser has secretly been removed from the House Republican caucus due to "male on male paid for sex behind a prominent Lansing nightclub." The e-mail also calls Gamrat a "tramp."
Shortly after that email went out, Graham meets with Norm Saari, then-chief of staff for House Speaker Kevin Cotter. Graham apparently shares some concerns about Courser and Gamrat but does not produce hard evidence.
Cotter spokesman Gideon D'Assandro confirmed recently the meeting took place but said he legally could not discuss details, calling it an HR matter. "What I can tell you is, the first we heard of any recording — actual evidence — or allegations of state resources being misused was in The Detroit News story (in August)."
Norm Saari
>>>Read more below:
Blogger who supported Gamrat-Courser ended up chronicling their downfall
MLive: Courser+Gamrat: Evolution Of A Sex Scandal
WMP In Buzzfeed
WMP Featured On Fox 17 For Helping Break Courser/Gamrat Scandal
Courser And Gamrat Must Resign
Confirmed: Courser+Gamrat Met At Lansing Radisson For Dozens Of Sexual Trysts
Read Todd Courser's Full False Flag Email Uncensored (Warning: Explicit Content)
Breaking: Detroit News Confirms WMP's Courser Email Story, Reveals Affair With State Rep. Cindy Gamrat
False Flag? Sources: Courser Sent Controversial Email+House GOP Leadership Knows, No Longer Attends Caucus Meetings
Selweski: Strange tea party soap opera at the state Capitol
Detroit News: Recordings: State rep asked aide to hide relationship
WMP In Huffington Post
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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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| Photo By Darlene Dowling Thompson |
Is the implication, here, that Cotter sat on this to use this against Courser down the road?
ReplyDeleteBTW, reading through the alleged blackmail texts Courser released, there is mention of other unnamed legislators. If the texts are even authentic and didn't come from Todd, are there more shoes to drop if the Speaker goes too deep into this? It's possible that it's all bluster, but this sounds bigger than Todd and Cindy.
What the hell is going on in Lansing?
And still Cindy will not resign...
ReplyDelete