In Michigan, the Ingham County Circuit Court voted to empanel a one-judge grand jury to look into charges of illegal activities by State Representative Roy Schmidt (R-Grand Rapids) and House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall).
The investigation will look into whether any laws were broken when Bolger and Schmidt coordinated Schmidt's switch to the Republican Party and made an effort to set up a patsy Democrat in Schmidt's district to run against him.
More from MPRN's Rick Pluta:
A court employee says the court determined there is probable cause that there some kind of illegal activity on the part of Schmidt or state House Speaker Jase Bolger, who helped engineer the party switch and recruit a fake Democrat to appear on the ballot. An investigation by the Kent County prosecutor found no evidence of illegal activity, but did forward the case to the Secretary of State to investigate possible campaign finance violations. Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina was chosen in a blind draw to lead the inquiry.
In a letter, House Speaker Bolger asked the court not to start an investigation, calling it a "political goose chase."
From MLive:
The Republican leader said in a letter to the judges that a Michigan State Police investigation and an opinion from Kent County Prosecutor Bill Forsyth that no laws were broken should be the end of the matter. “The Court's valuable resources should not be tasked with continuing a political goose chase for crimes that have not been substantiated after significant inquiry and investigation,” Bolger wrote.
