House Candidate James Lewis: “Bolger-Lewis probe should continue”
Title:
House Candidate James Lewis: “Bolger-Lewis probe should continue”
Author:
Webmaster_LPM
Date:
8/21/2012
Year:
2012
Article:
http://electjameslewis.com/candidate-for-state-house-says-too-many-questions-remain-in-bolger-schmidt-probe/
For Immediate Release:
Closing of case “irresponsible disservice”, incumbents and candidates alike should voice concern
Brighton, Mich.—James Lewis, candidate for 42nd House district, Brighton says there are far too many unanswered questions to close the probe into the actions of House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall and Rep. Roy Schmidt, R-Grand Rapids in the so-called “fake democrat” case.
Lewis was referring to comments made in a Detroit Free Press article [August 20] by a Michigan State Police investigator who said he believed further investigation could have led to perjury conspiracy charges against Bolger and Schmidt.
It is alleged that Bolger was aware that Schmidt would file for re-election as a Republican and he had recruited someone to be a nominal Democratic opponent. The opponent turned out to be Matt Mojzak, a 22-year-old friend of Schmidt’s son who was allegedly offered $450 to run. Despite filing an affidavit to the contrary, Mojzak did not actually reside in the district in which he was running; which is a requirement in order to run for state representative.
The alleged ‘election rigging’ case, however, was shut down by the Republican Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth before search warrants on Bolger and Schmidt’s phone records could be executed.
Forsyth said to the Detroit Free Press that continuing the investigation would have “taken too long” and that investigating fully would “not be an appropriate use of the State Police.” Forsyth also went on to say, “Let’s face it, Bolger has a very powerful position in Lansing.”
“There are some very serious allegations that elected officials may have committed an act contrary to elections law; and worse, have potentially violated the public trust, yet everyone is supposed to ignore the proverbial ‘man behind the curtain’? That is simply a double-standard,” Lewis said.
Lewis believes that party politics in Michigan has “gotten out of control.” Lewis believes that if it “were anyone else in the state,” other than the House Speaker and a member of the majority House party, that a “full investigation would have been conducted until the person(s) involved were either cleared by investigators or exonerated or convicted by a jury of their peers, per the Constitution.”
Lewis says lawmakers take an oath to uphold the Constitution, not party policy — and he believes as this matter stands, it appears that the “party wagons have been circled.”
When asked about the reason offered by the county prosecutor for closing the case, Lewis said, “I’m confident that the prosecutor has prosecuted a ‘few’ circumstantial cases in his career, and even a few where hard evidence is said to exist. Why is this specific case a waste of time?”
“It’s clear that party politics are in play here. In our district, the incumbent [Rep. Bill Rogers (R-Brighton)] has remained completely silent on the matter. We’ve heard nothing from him. Are the oaths to uphold the Constitution that lawmakers take simply more lip-service?” Lewis asked.
Lewis is encouraging all incumbents and candidates, regardless of party, to urge the state to re-open the case in order that “due process may run its course, regardless of outcome.”
Lewis says until there is a full investigation, more faith will be lost by the people of Michigan, many of whom already believe that elected officials receive preferential treatment under the law. People will lose what remaining faith they have in elected officials and the system of justice, “if they still have any faith left… the prosecutor has already conceded there has been a fraud committed against the public; to not continue the investigation is purely irresponsible and a complete disservice to the People of Michigan on the part of the prosecutor.”
