A Michigan lawmaker charged with soliciting a bribe for votes says he’s shocked by the indictment and calls it “crap.” Representative Larry Inman of Traverse City spoke on “Michigan’s Big Show” Thursday morning after being indicted by a federal grand jury.
“I certainly was surprised and shocked,” he said. “We had no indication whatsoever from the FBI or the Department of Justice that they had any concerns about me.”
Inman added he will not resign, despite being asked to do so by House Speaker Lee Chatfield and being stripped of his committee assignments. Federal prosecutors say text messages show Inman urging a labor union to round up campaign contributions last summer to ensure some lawmakers would vote a certain way on a controversial wage proposal. The messages show Inman saying $5,000 won’t be enough.
But Inman says, “Text messages can be misinterpreted.”
The government says the union didn’t respond to Inman’s pitch. The Republican ultimately voted to repeal a wage law against the union’s interests. If he’s found guilty, Inman faces a few decades in prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
