Rep. Brian Banks (left) and Sen. Virgil Smith
The state House breathed a sigh a relief last week when Republican Reps. Todd Courser and Cindy Gamrat vanished from the rosters for their affair and the rather unusual cover-up that used taxpayer resources. Gamrat was expelled by the House. Courser resigned just before he was about to be booted.
Now, Lansing has two Detroit Democratic lawmakers they may have to discipline. But this may take longer than the Course-Gamrat ordeal.
Lawmakers are expected to wait for their cases to be dealt with in the courts.
Sen. Virgil Smith faces criminal charges regarding an incident earlier this year when he fired shots into his ex-wife’s Mercedes outside his Detroit home.
Then there's Rep. Brian Banks. He is the target of a lawsuit filed by a former aide alleging workplace sexual harassment, writes Gary Heinlein of The Detroit News:
The cases have been handled differently because legislative leaders want a legal resolution of the cases involving Banks and Smith before deciding whether or how the lawmakers should be penalized for their actions.
"Smith and Banks have proceedings going through the courts right now,” said political policy adviser Jeff Williams, chief executive officer of Lansing’s Public Sector Consultants. “This (the Courser-Gamrat case) is squarely in the Legislature’s lap because there had been no referral to the judicial system” before Friday’s request.
