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Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall

(AP File Photo)

Update: Witch hunt or reason for reform? Views vary as Bolger-Schmidt probe ends without indictments

LANSING, MI -- Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger and former state Rep. Roy Schmidt will not face criminal charges as the result of a grand jury investigation into a political party switch pulled off ahead of the 2012 primary election.

Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who spent nearly a year looking into the scheme as a one-woman grand jury, released an order on Friday announcing conclusion of the probe.

"An indictment is not warranted as there has been no presentment of any articulable crime or unlawful wrongdoing as to any person or persons involved in such an inquiry, either in common law or statutory law," she wrote.

Schmidt first won election to the state House in 2008 as a Democrat out of Grand Rapids. But just moments before the filing deadline for the August 2012 primary, he announced that he was moving to the Republican Party.

It was later learned that Schmidt attempted to pay Matt Mojzak, a 22-year-old political novice and family friend, to run in the Democratic primary with hopes of clearing his path in the general election.

Former state Rep. Roy Schmidt of Grand Rapids.

Mojzak quickly bowed out when the scheme came to light, and Schmidt eventually lost in the general election to Democrat Winnie Brinks.

Bolger, a Republican who went on to win re-election and retain his leadership position, played a prominent role in the party switch, according text messages and an eight-page report released last July by Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth, who also investigated the scheme but did not press charges.

Forsyth called it a "travesty" that undermined the election -- but not a crime.

Bolger, in a statement released Friday, thanked those who stood by him during a time "which was particularly frustrating" because he could not speak openly about the case due to legal restrictions associated with a grand jury.

"Even now, after the finding has been issued, I still cannot comment further on the investigation," he said. "I repeatedly sought to follow the law with the original issue and will continue to follow the law with regard to this court proceeding."

Bolger highlighted the apology he offered to voters last year.

"As promised in that apology, my focus has been and will continue to be on serving the hardworking men and women of our state to help solve the problems they face and help Michigan continue to grow for their success," he said.

Then-Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer and Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer requested the grand jury probe in August 2012 after Forsyth's investigation concluded without criminal charges.

Ingham County judges gave the job to Aquilina, providing her with sweeping authority to pull records, compel witness testimony and grant immunity. Grand juries are highly secretive, and Aquilina's only previous communication in the case was a February order extending the investigation into this month.

"In calling for the grand jury investigation into last year's scandal involving former Representative Roy Schmidt's election, I simply wanted to ensure that a full and proper review took place on behalf of the people asking for one," Whitmer said in a released statement. "Now that that investigation has been concluded, it's time for all of us to move forward and focus on the issues in front of the Legislature today."

In her Friday order, Aquilina noted that she could only release details of the probe upon the request and consent of Bolger or Schmidt. No request has been made, and so no public report will be available. All records, notes and transcripts will be immediately sealed and transported to the Michigan Supreme Court.

Full text: Read Aquilina's order in Bolger-Schmidt grand jury probe (pdf)

Update: Witch hunt or reason for reform? Views vary as Bolger-Schmidt probe ends without indictments

Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter.