Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall)
LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- The Michigan Democratic Party has refiled a complaint asking Secretary of State Ruth Johnson to investigate whether House Speaker Jase Bolger and his staff violated the law through their involvement in a western Michigan House race.
Party Chairman Mark Brewer said Thursday that Republican Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth found that Bolger and his staff conducted campaign work on Rep. Roy Schmidt's behalf during normal work hours while being paid by the state.
Schmidt switched to the Republican Party just before the filing deadline and offered to pay another man to enter the Grand Rapids Democratic race but not campaign.
Brewer says Bolger and Schmidt conspired to deny voters a choice in November and "used taxpayer dollars to do it."
Bolger has apologized but says he didn't break any laws.