Gamrat's Attorney Says Speaker Cotter Violated House Rules

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

Mike Nichols, the attorney for Cindy Gamrat, says Michigan Speaker of the House Kevin Cotter violated House rules by refusing to introduce legislation from Cindy Gamrat and other lawmakers.

Nichols also points out that House Business Office Director Tim Bowlin acknowledged the infamous "Courser/Gamrat Report" may be incorrect...

"Cindy Gamrat is charged with two counts of misconduct in office based on the state’s accusations that she (1) lied to House of Representatives investigators regarding her knowledge of the so called “false flag” email, and (2) she forced or otherwise authorized her former staff to sign her name to “blue backs” – draft bills to be submitted to the clerk for introduction to the House. I have my doubts that the prosecution's burden will be proven for Ms. Gamrat.

What we heard in Thursday's testimony was stunning. House Clerk Gary Randall helped us to prove that the one who actually violated House Rule 41 was not necessarily Cindy Gamrat, but actually Speaker of the House Kevin Cotter. He referred to the "leadership" as being the authority who made the decision not to introduce bills, including Ms. Gamrat's, within the requirements of the same House Rule that she is charged with a felony for violating.

House Business Office Director Tim Bowlin was the last witness to testify and he acknowledged in questioning by Judge Clarke and on cross examination that his report's assertion (which led to Ms. Gamrat's rare expulsion) SHOULD BE CHANGED if it is true that former staffer Josh Cline testified that she never instructed him to sign bills on her behalf. Cline testified Wednesday that he signed Gamrat’s name to bill drafts for House Bills 4317 and 4318 in 2015 and that he did so without Ms. Gamrat ever telling him to.

This is a very unusual and unprecedented case. The testimony we've heard has been compelling in one major respect: the evidence that Ms. Gamrat violated the rules of the Michigan House or misled House investigators, let alone violated the law, is NONEXISTENT and based on unsworn and unrecorded statements which led to broad conclusions by Tim Bowlin. I was proud to be a member of the Judicial Branch yesterday."
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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