REPORT: Married Michigan State Rep Leaked Gay Hooker Scandal About Himself To Hide Affair With Fellow Married Rep

Back in June, I reported that Michigan Tea Party state reps Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat had introduced a trio of anti-gay marriage bills, two of which would have outlawed all civil marriages. Under their proposed bills, only "a minister of the Gospel, cleric, or religious practitioner” would be allowed to issue marriage licenses and perform weddings. Today the Detroit News has a juicy follow-up:

State Rep. Todd Courser planned the distribution of a fictional email alleging he had sex with a male prostitute in a bid to conceal his relationship with Rep. Cindy Gamrat, according to audio recordings obtained by The Detroit News. Courser, a Lapeer Republican, said on one recording the email was designed to create “a complete smear campaign” of exaggerated, false claims about him and Gamrat so a public revelation about the legislators’ relationship would seem “mild by comparison.” Interviews with former House employees and the recordings show freshman lawmakers Courser and Gamrat, R-Plainwell, used their taxpayer-funded offices to maintain and cover up their relationship. Courser, 43, and Gamrat, 42, rose from the ranks of tea party activism, battled establishment Republicans to win seats in the House last year and formed their own legislative coalition.

Both reps are opposite-married with three children each. From Gamrat's campaign page: "Our nation was built upon a Judeo-Christian foundation and has been blessed by the hand of Providence. I will stand STRONG for religious freedom against any attacks that may come it's way."

More from the Detroit News:

Written using the pseudonym George Rathburn, the sexually explicit email was received by Republicans on May 20 and 21, the two days following Courser’s meeting with Graham. The missive claimed Courser was removed from the House GOP caucus after being caught having “paid male on male sex behind a prominent Lansing night club,” among other claims. During the May 19 meeting, Courser twice read aloud portions of a draft email to Graham. Most of the sentences Courser recited match copies of the email sent to Republicans and obtained by The News. “Nobody’s gonna believe any of that,” Graham said about the draft email. “Correct,” said Courser, who then added: “No, they’ll believe some of it. They’ll believe some of it.” Courser does not explicitly say he wrote the letter, only telling Graham “it’s already written” and that Gamrat “agreed” with sending it.

Hit the second link above to listen to the audio files. (Tipped by JMG reader Rob)

Texas AG Ken Paxton Smirks For Mugshot After Arrest On Multiple Felony Charges

Anti-gay Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was today arrested and booked on the three felony securities fraud charges announced on Friday. He was released on bond shortly afterwards.

Around noon, the grand jury indictment against Paxton was unsealed, revealing that two first-degree fraud charges were based on Paxton’s efforts in July 2011 — when he was a member of the Texas House — to sell stock on behalf of Servergy Inc., a McKinney-based tech company. According to the indictment, Paxton failed to tell stock buyers — including state Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, and Florida businessman Joel Hochberg, who were listed as complainants on the fraud charges — that he had been compensated with 100,000 shares of Servergy stock. Paxton also said he was an investor in Servergy when he was not, the charges indicated. Paxton encouraged investors, including Texas House members, to put more than $600,000 into Servergy, special prosecutor Kent Schaffer told the New York Times last week.

Democrats are calling for Paxton's resignation. The Texas GOP has issued a statement which declares that Paxton is entitled to his day in court. (Tipped by JMG reader Charles)

TEXAS: Anti-Gay AG Ken Paxton Indicted On Multiple Counts Of Securities Fraud

Via the New York Times:

Ken Paxton, the Republican attorney general of Texas and a former state legislator, has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of securities fraud and of failing to register with the state securities board, officials said. The grand jury in the northern Dallas suburb of McKinney handed up a three-count indictment against Mr. Paxton on Tuesday, the officials said. The indictment is to be unsealed on Monday, when Mr. Paxton is expected to turn himself in to the authorities at the Collin County Jail. The charges — two counts of first-degree securities fraud and one count of third-degree failure to register — are tied to Mr. Paxton’s work soliciting clients and investors for two companies while he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives, before he was elected attorney general in November.

RELATED: Several days after the Obergefell ruling, Paxton declared that county clerks were allowed to refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses.

Rick Perry Confirms For Duggar Fest 2015

That makes six of the GOP presidential candidates: Perry, Walker, Huckabee, Santorum, Cruz, and Carson. So far. Who will say no?

BRITAIN: House Of Lords Deputy Speaker Resigns In Drugs And Prostitution Scandal

The Telegraph reports:

Parliamentary authorities have called in Scotland Yard after a peer who oversees standards in the House of Lords was pictured allegedly taking cocaine with two prostitutes. Baron Sewel of Gilcomstoun, a Deputy Speaker of the Lords, resigned amid claims he took the Class A drug at a sex party. The House of Lords authorities immediately referred his case to police and dubbed the revelations "shocking and unacceptable". Lord Sewel, formerly a Labour peer and ally of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, was said to have been caught on video telling the £200-a-night prostitutes that he wanted to "be led astray". The Lord Speaker issued a strongly-worded statement in which she said Scotland Yard would be asked to investigate. Baroness D’Souza said: "Today’s revelations about the behaviour of Lord Sewel are both shocking and unacceptable. "Lord Sewel has this morning resigned as Chairman of Committees. The House of Lords will continue to uphold standards in public life and will not tolerate departure from these standards"

While Sewel has resigned from his post as deputy speaker, he remains a member of the House Of Lords. For now. More from the Guardian:

He paid women in prostitution for their services in a grace and favour flat in Dolphin Square for which he pays £1,000 a month instead of the going rate of nearly £3,000. This man’s “private life” is subsidised to the hilt by the taxpayer, and that is what really sticks in the craw. That, and his comments about Asian women. He asks if there will be any “nice little young Asian women” at the party, before adding, “they sort of look innocent but you know they are whores”. As he was the guy in the Lords responsible for making sure that his colleagues, his fellow public servants, behaved properly, the notion of “double standards” covers him much less impressively than that unfortunate bra. His awful moaning to the women who charged him £200 a night about how he can’t get by on a Lords allowance of £200 a day is the worst element of the whole scandal. “I do spend it on wine and different things,” he remarked. In reality the allowance for peers is £300 a day, though it does not apply to Sewel. He is paid £120,000 a year, made up of his salary for his part-time work chairing committees in the Lords (£84,525) and his allowance of £36,000 for maintaining a home in London. He complains that he is struggling, and when one of the women asks if his £200 allowance pays for his lunch, he replies: “It’s not lunch luvvie darling, it’s paying for this”. Wow. Is there any real question that he should remain in the House? That he should not be expelled?

Josh Duggar Has Fourth Child

There's another Duggar in the world.

Anna and Josh Duggar have welcomed their fourth child, a baby girl named Meredith Grace Duggar. Josh Duggar broke the news of the birth with a photo posted on Instagram, saying: "Announcing the arrival of Meredith Grace Duggar -- 7lbs 14 ozs, 20-1/2in -- Anna and Meredith are resting & doing well!" The "19 Kids & Counting" stars are already parents to Mackynzie, 5, Michael, 4, and Marcus, 2. It's been an emotional year for the Duggars. Their show was pulled from the TLC schedule after Josh Duggar responded to allegations of molestation that happened years ago starting when he was 14 years old. He's 27 now.

(Tipped by JMG reader Keith)

REPORT: Disgraced Archbishop Cruised In Public Park And Asked for Poppers

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has more salacious allegations about disgraced former Archbishop John Nienstedt, who resigned last month.

The firm conducted interviews and collected affidavits, or sworn statements, from people who worked with or knew Nienstedt. The Star Tribune has confirmed that five Catholic priests, one former priest and a former seminarian were among those who provided affidavits. In one affidavit, a priest in Harrison Township, Mich., reported seeing Nienstedt at a gay nightclub in Windsor, Ontario, just across the border from Detroit in the 1980s. “I recall seeing John — and there is no doubt in my mind that it was him based on my prior interactions with him — at the Happy Tap,” the Rev. Lawrence Ventline wrote in his affidavit. “He appeared to wave me off as I was coming — and I backed off because I did not want impose on him.”

Another affidavit from a Michigan priest said that Nienstedt pulled up to his car in an area frequented by gay men one December in the early 1980s and asked him if he had any “poppers,” an inhalant used by gay men to enhance sexual pleasure. When he got into Nienstedt’s car, and Nienstedt recognized him as a former student, he changed the subject, the priest told the Star Tribune. A former seminarian at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, James Heathcott, also filed an affidavit. He said that Nienstedt — who was the seminary’s rector — expelled him after he refused an invitation to join Nienstedt and two other seminarians on a private weekend at a ski chalet in the late 1980s.

Nienstedt resigned after prosecutors filed criminal and civil charges against the archdiocese for "failure to protect children." Regarding today's accusations, Nienstedt claims to be "dumbfounded" and says that while he did regularly drive by that park, it was only because it was on the way to the cardinal's official residence. Nienstedt further claims to have been on assignment in Rome at time he is alleged to have asked for poppers. (Tipped by JMG reader Rick)

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: The Archdiocese declared bankruptcy in January 2015. Last summer Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt was accused of "sexual impropriety" with priests and other men. Nienstedt then denied allegations that he is gay to a local newspaper. Niedstedt was later grilled by a different local paper about his sexuality. In January 2012, Nienstedt ordered all of Minnesota's priests to remain silent if they opposed the coming referendum on same-sex marriage. Later in 2012, it was Nienstedt's ugly anti-gay public letter that launched NFL player Chris Kluwe into the spotlight after Kluwe penned a blistering response in a local newspaper. In September of that year Nienstedt declared that Satan loves sodomy. Also in September 2012, Nienstedt was accused of shielding a pedophile priest who is currently in prison. In 2010 Nienstedt ordered that communion be denied to openly gay students. Also in 2010, Nienstedt's archdiocese sent out 400,000 DVDs to Minnesota voters urging that they support anti-gay gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. 

Headline Of The Day

Details. (Tipped by JMG reader Brandon)

TEXAS: Attorney General Ken Paxton May Face Felony Securities Fraud Charge

Via the Dallas ABC affiliate:

The criminal investigation against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken a more serious turn, with special prosecutors now planning to present a first-degree felony securities fraud case against him to a Collin County grand jury, News 8 has learned. Special prosecutor Kent Schaffer told News 8 Wednesday afternoon that the Texas Rangers uncovered new evidence during the investigation that led to the securities fraud allegations against the sitting attorney general. "The Rangers went out to investigate one thing, and they came back with information on something else," Schaffer told News 8. "It's turned into something different than when they started."

The potential charges reportedly involve amounts "well in excess of $100,000."

Billy Graham's Grandson Resigns From Megachurch After Admitting Affair

Via the Washington Post:

Billy Graham’s grandson Tullian Tchividjian has resigned from his pulpit at Coral Ridge Presbyterian, a high-profile church in south Florida, after admitting he had an affair. Tchividjian, 42, has been married to his wife, Kim, since 1994 and they have three children. Many have considered Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) a rising star in evangelicalism, especially in Reformed circles. He is the fourth Florida megachurch pastor to resign after having affairs, including the son of megachurch pastor Joel Hunter.

In 2009, Tchividjian succeeded the late James Kennedy as senior pastor of Coral Ridge. Kennedy was one of the architects of the Religious Right, a movement of evangelicals who became intertwined in more conservative politics. However, Tchividjian decided to preach less about politics, unlike his uncle Franklin Graham, founder of Samaritan’s Purse. Billy Graham, 96, was one of the most influential religious leaders of the 20th century and an adviser to many U.S. presidents. Tchividjian’s mother is Billy Graham’s oldest child.

The church has issued a statement:

Several days ago, Pastor Tullian admitted to moral failure, acknowledging his actions disqualify him from continuing to serve as senior pastor or preach from the pulpit, and resigned – effective immediately. We are saddened by this news, but are working with and assisting Pastor Tullian and his family to help them through this difficult time, and asking people to join us in praying that God will bring restoration through this process and healing to all involved.

Franklin Graham is Tchividjian's uncle.

RELATED: The SPLC lists Coral Ridge Ministries as an anti-gay group. They note that Coral Ridge helped launch Roy Moore's Foundation For Moral Law.

FRC Launches Publicity For VVS 2015

Kelvin Cochran was fired for proselytizing at the workplace and the Benham brothers lost their show after Right Wing Watch publicized a host of vile anti-gay statements, including their claim that gay people are controlled by Satan. And of course, the Kleins were fined for violating public accommodation laws in Oregon, which added sexual orientation to those protections seven years before the legalization of same-sex marriage. But the FRC martyr train will not be stopped.

Headline Of The Day

Via Talking Points Memo:

Voters who cast their ballots for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in the last election have a higher opinion of the scandal-plagued Duggar family than of President Barack Obama, according to a poll provided Tuesday to TPM. A survey conducted by the Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling found that 67 percent of respondents who voted for Romney in 2012 said they had a higher opinion of the family made famous by TLC's "19 Kids and Counting." Just 12 percent of Romney voters said they had a higher opinion of the President than the Duggars. By contrast, 87 percent of respondents who voted for Obama in 2012 said they had a higher opinion of the President than the Duggars.

(Tipped by JMG reader Arthur)

Bill Donohue Has The Archbishop Sadz

"Ever since Nienstedt criticized the gay movie, Brokeback Mountain, he has been a marked man. The Star Tribune, the St. Cloud Times, Minnesota Public Radio, the New York Times, as well as an array of wayward priests, Catholic journalists, former Catholics, and unethical lawyers, have been out to get him. Just today, Fr. Mike Tegeder said it was a good sign that Nienstedt resigned; Tegeder supports gay marriage. Nienstedt’s sin is that he is an orthodox Catholic. Nienstedt was twice accused of inappropriate touching, and twice the charges proved false. He is a good man who was unfairly treated." - Bill Donohue, on today's resignation by Archbishop John Niendstedt.

MINNESOTA: Archbishop John Nienstedt Resigns Over Molestation Scandal

"In order to give the Archdiocese a new beginning amidst the many challenges we face, I have submitted my resignation as Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis to our Holy Father, Pope Francis, and I have just received word that he has accepted it. The Catholic Church is not our Church, but Christ’s Church, and we are merely stewards for a time. My leadership has unfortunately drawn attention away from the good works of His Church and those who perform them. Thus, my decision to step down. I leave with a clear conscience knowing that my team and I have put in place solid protocols to ensure the protection of minors and vulnerable adults. I ask for continued prayers for the well-being of this Archdiocese and its future leaders. I also ask for your continued prayers for me." - Archbishop John Nienstedt, in a press release issued this morning.

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

The Vatican said Pope Francis accepted the resignations of Archbishop John Nienstedt and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Anthony Piche. They resigned under the code of canon law that allows bishops to resign before they retire because of illness or some other "grave" reason that makes them unfit for office. Earlier this month, prosecutors charged the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as a corporation of having "turned a blind eye" to repeated reports of inappropriate behavior by a priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys. No individual was named in the indictment. The resignations came just days after Pope Francis approved the creation of a new tribunal inside the Vatican to hear cases of bishops who failed to protect children from sexually abusive priests. Francis' decision followed years of criticism that the Vatican had never held bishops accountable for having ignored warnings about abusive priests and simply moved them from parish to parish rather than report them to police or remove them from ministry.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: The Archdiocese declared bankruptcy in January 2015. Last summer Minneapolis Archbishop John Nienstedt was accused of "sexual impropriety" with priests and other men. Nienstedt then denied allegations that he is gay to a local newspaper. Niedstedt was later grilled by a different local paper about his sexuality. In January 2012, Nienstedt ordered all of Minnesota's priests to remain silent if they opposed the coming referendum on same-sex marriage. Later in 2012, it was Nienstedt's ugly anti-gay public letter that launched NFL player Chris Kluwe into the spotlight after Kluwe penned a blistering response in a local newspaper. In September of that year Nienstedt declared that Satan loves sodomy. Also in September 2012, Nienstedt was accused of shielding a pedophile priest who is currently in prison. In 2010 Nienstedt ordered that communion be denied to openly gay students. Also in 2010, Nienstedt's archdiocese sent out 400,000 DVDs to Minnesota voters urging that they support anti-gay gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer.

NEVADA: Legal Brothel Bans Josh Duggar

The owner of Nevada's famed Bunny Ranch is rather notorious for trying to inject himself into national stories by banning those making the headlines from his brothel. So here he is again. Via press release:

The world famous Moonlite Bunny Ranch, famed legal brothel that has been featured on HBO's smash hit series "Cathouse", has taken the extraordinary step of banning TLC's "19 And Counting" star Josh Duggar from entering any of their properties, citing concerns for the safety of the 500 legal prostitutes that are employed there. Duggar has recently become embattled in a firestorm of controversy over his admission that he sexually molested five girls, including two of his younger sisters, when he was 15. One of the sisters was 5 at the time that the assault occurred.

"My number one priority has got to be the safety of my girls," said Dennis Hof, owner of the world famous Bunny Ranch and six other Nevada brothels. "We employ 500 girls at any one time, and we've had tens of thousands of them come and go over the years. With the Duggars having 19 kids, it is just simple math that the odds are much greater than usual that one of their daughters might come work for us at some point. There's no way I would ever put them or any other girl in harm's way, should that brother of theirs come prowling around here. He's persona non grata, starting now."

"Those poor girls (the Duggar sisters) were propped up on television by their Bible thumping parents to make excuses for their brother, saying that their mother and father had protected them after they became aware of the molestations by putting locks on the girls' doors. We don't have locks on our girls' doors, because we've never needed them. Apparently the Bunny Ranch brothel is a safer place for young girls than the Duggar household."

You may recall that at the height of the Duck Dynasty controversy, Hof banned Phil Robertson from patronizing the Bunny Ranch. Today's press release notes that Hof's autobiography was released earlier this year to "critical acclaim." Judge for yourself. (Tipped by JMG reader Mike)

State Workers Call 911 After Duggar Family Objects To New Investigation

In Touch did promise us new revelations:

The Duggar family is under investigation again by the Arkansas Department of Human Services and police were called when the family refused to cooperate, In Touch magazine is reporting exclusively in its new issue that hits newsstands today. A representative from the Washington County DHS called 911 on May 27 at around 11 a.m. asking for police assistance when DHS was not allowed to see the minor they were concerned about. In Touch, which broke the story of Josh Duggar’s sexual molestation scandal, has the full transcript of the emergency call in the new issue. The new investigation comes as the family tries to save its TLC reality show, 19 Kids and Counting, which the network pulled off the air, while determining its fate. Jim Bob, Michelle and two of their daughters sat for interviews with Fox News, attempting to minimize the damage, but much of what they said was widely condemned as misinformation and not full disclosure.

In Touch notes that the latest investigation could have been triggered by a complaint to a state hotline, including an anonymous one. (Tipped by JMG reader Sharon)

REPORT: Lesbian Couple Helped Break The Duggar Family Molestation Scandal

Early this year the Duggar family invited couples to post kissing photos on their Facebook page, which naturally spurred many submissions by gay couples. After the Duggars deleted all of the gay photos, Texas couple Tandra Barnfield and Samantha Muzny went viral with a photo they took right in front of the Duggar home in Arkansas. The pair returned to the Duggar homestead in March to pose for a second photo, this time triumphantly holding their Oklahoma marriage license.

Today the Chicago Tribune reports that it was Tandra Barnfield who first tipped off In Touch about the existence of the police report which detailed Josh Duggar's molestations.

"This all comes from good, basic journalism," said David Perel, editorial director of InTouch and its sister gossip-purveyors, Life & Style and Closer. "It comes from being there. It's knowing where to attack and where to start digging." The Duggar story came together quickly over a three-week period, said Perel, a veteran tabloid editor who joined the publication in late 2013 after guiding both the National Enquirer and Radar Online. He won't name the magazine's sources, but a woman named Tandra Barnfield apparently was a helpful guide.

Barnfield was contacted by an In Touch reporter, Melissa Roberto, earlier this year after Barnfield posted a photo on Instagram of her kissing her wife, Samantha Muzny, in front of the Duggars' home near Springdale, Arkansas. The photo — a protest, Barnfield said, of Michelle Duggar's role in promoting opposition to an anti-discrimination initiative last year — had gone viral.

During their conversation, Barnfield, who lives in the Houston area but has family in Springdale, told Roberto about the police report. "It wasn't like it was a rumor to us," Barnfield said in an interview. "We knew all about it. . . . It wasn't hard to get it. You just had to know where to look." In fact, it was a little more complicated than that. Perel quickly dispatched two reporters to Springdale and hired a local law firm to advise the magazine about Arkansas' open-records law, which enables residents (but not reporters from New Jersey) to obtain public documents. The law firm filed the records request — and was rewarded with a copy of the original police report several days later. "We got it fast," Perel said.

Perel added that In Touch has more revelations to come.

John Oliver Keeps FIFA Pledge

Last week John Oliver vowed to sample the products of major FIFA sponsors if its president were to step down. Last night he kept that pledge, despite his opinion that Bud Light Lime tastes like “the Jolly Green Giant’s ejaculate.”

Duggar Sisters Speak Out On Fox: Josh Was Just A Little Too Curious About Girls

Via CNN:

What happened to Josh Duggar's victims was "very mild" compared to what other victims of sexual molestation have experienced, two sisters of the reality TV star told Fox News in an interview that aired Friday night. Jessa Duggar Seewald and Jill Duggar Dillard said their brother began inappropriately touching them before they were teenagers. Dillard said she was 12 and Seewald was "9 or 10," she said. In the interview, which was recorded Wednesday, the sisters spoke in defense of their brother, who is now 27. He's not a rapist or pedophile, Seewald said. "I was one of the victims so I can speak out," she told Fox. "In Josh's case, he was a boy, young boy in puberty, and a little too curious about girls and that got him into some trouble," she said. "And he made some bad choices, but really the extent of it was mild inappropriate touching on fully clothed victims. Most of it while girls were sleeping."

MINNESOTA: St. Paul Prosecutors Charge Archdiocese In Sex Abuse Cover-Up

Via the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

Ramsey County attorney John Choi said Friday that a 20-month investigation has led to criminal charges against the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for "failing to protect children." Choi cited the case of Curtis Wehmeyer, a priest convicted of molesting two boys. "It is not only Curtis Wehmeyer who is criminally responsible for the harm caused, but it is the archdiocese as well," he said. Choi called the archdiocese program to monitor problem priests "a sham." "We were falsely led to believe that the leadership structure of the Archdiocese had an effective program in place" to monitor priests, he said. Choi said six gross misdemeanor charges have been filed against the archdiocese, but not against any individuals.

Misdemeanor charges against no individuals?