Ex-Courser, Gamrat aide rips office hugging, 'tuck-ins'

The romantic embraces, the office naps with tuck-ins, and frequently canceled meetings were just too much for Joshua Cline, a former staffer for state Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat, whose extramarital affair has prompted a legislative investigation and calls from many fellow lawmakers to resign.

During a news conference Monday, Cline, who resigned in the spring, said it became obvious soon after the lawmakers took office that they had a such a personal, intimate relationship that it created a hostile work environment and made working in the office "untenable."

"Reps. Courser and Gamrat would routinely disappear for hours at a time -- especially on Thursdays after session -- and then they would come back and ask us to get them dinner," Cline said. "I began to suspect that Rep. Courser and Gamrat were having an inappropriate physical relationship. In January, I mentioned my concerns to Courser and Gamrat at a late-night staff meeting. I suggested they should adopt and enforce professional and personal boundaries. They quickly dismissed my concerns and impressed upon me that as a mere staffer, such a suggestion was not my place."

In audio e-mails and press conferences, Courser and Gamrat have owned up to their personal "indiscretions." But both also have said that they will not resign from the House of Representatives.

The details of the affair got more explicit Monday with Cline's revelations. Courser often napped in Gamrat's office, Cline said. And Gamrat, R-Plainwell, would get him a pillow and blanket and tuck him in. Courser and Gamrat are both married -- he has four children and she has three.

"They spent an inordinate amount of time going for walks with each other during the day," he added. "They frequently greeted each other with what appeared to be long, romantic, highly personal hugs and embraces."

And the long-rumored confrontation between Courser and Gamrat, and Gamrat's husband Joe, at the Radisson Hotel in Lansing isn't an urban legend, Cline said, noting he got a phone call from Joe Gamrat on Feb. 11.

"He told me, as a warning that 'you're going to be in for a very bad day.' He had seen Todd and Cindy stay in their legislative offices until late at night. He had also seen Cindy leave Todd's hotel room at 2 a.m.," Cline said. "Cindy arrived late that day looking disheveled. ... And (Courser) spent most of the time leaning on cabinets in Rep. Gamrat's office. He was distraught, despondent, very quiet. They spent a lot of time in their back office that day."

Gamrat's spokesman, Justin Near, said they would not comment on Cline's press conference. Courser did not return calls for comment Monday.

Cline quit the office in April and said the last straw was when he realized that they had cancelled or rescheduled more than half the meetings they set up. He said he brought his concerns about the relationship to members of the office of Speaker of the House Kevin Cotter, R-Mt. Pleasant. But said he "felt there was no relief forthcoming."

Cline, a Lapeer County native, knew Courser before he became a legislator and worked on previous campaigns for the Lapeer Republican. So, he said, he was shocked to become a staffer and encounter a boss who treated his staffers with disrespect and adopted a "haughty and elitist" attitude.

"We had a staff meeting in early January and he said, 'Let's get it straight boys. We're not here to pass legislation. We're here for the messaging moments and media,'" Cline said. He said the decision to quit was wrenching.

"It was not an easy task to chose integrity over a paycheck. But I chose to preserve my integrity and resign effective immediately," he said. "Having chosen integrity over continued employment in a hostile, untenable work environment in which I was required to turn a blind eye to unethical behavior in the offices of Courser and Gamrat, I am confident I did the right thing."

Cline quit a month before Courser sent an anonymous fake e-mail to Republicans in Lansing, according to audio recordings of conversations between Courser and another staffer, Ben Graham, in an attempt to cover-up an extramarital affair with Gamrat.

In a rambling 27-minute audio recording, Courser said he sent the anonymous false e-mail about paying for gay sex because he was being blackmailed. The tape blames his former staffers, Graham, Cline and Keith Allard, for colluding with the Lansing "mafia" establishment to bring him down. And it didn't work, Courser said, because he has decided to stay in office to expose the "political shenanigans" that are happening in Lansing.

The three staffers released a statement last week saying that an investigation into the matter would prove they did nothing wrong. And Cline's press conference Monday was intended to elaborate on that statement. Cline said he is cooperating with authorities to try and bring the whole matter to closure. He wouldn't say if he's contemplating legal action of his own against Courser.

Despite a growing number of calls for the two lawmakers to resign, Courser and Gamrat said last week they don't intend to leave their seats. And the Legislature returns to Lansing Tuesday after a month-long summer break.

Speaker of the House Kevin Cotter, R-Mt. Pleasant, ordered the House Business Office to investigate the two lawmakers to determine whether they broke any House rules or whether there is any evidence of illegal behavior. The House Business Office can conduct interviews with current or former staffers, examine computer servers, and electronic and paper records from the two offices, and could levy punishment — such as demanding reimbursement to the state for inappropriately used state funds.

If illegal activity is found, the business office, which is expected to wrap up its investigation later this week, could refer the matter to law enforcement or another state agency for further action. The pair also could face removal from office if the House passes a resolution, which would need two-thirds support from the 110-member House.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 517-372-8661, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal.