Pro-Trump Republican running for Michigan Speaker expelled from GOP caucus: report
On Tuesday, Bridge Michigan reported that Matt Maddock, a pro-Trump Michigan state representative angling to be speaker of the state House of Representatives, has been expelled from the Republican Party for violating caucus rules.
"Sources say current House Speaker Jason Wentworth, (R-District 97), booted Maddock for 'violating caucus rules.' He allegedly discussed confidential caucus matters publicly, prompting his removal," reported Jonathan Oosting. "Maddock did not immediately return a voicemail seeking comment. As of Tuesday evening, the Milford lawmaker's page on the Michigan House Republican website was no longer active."
Maddock recently gained attention for proposing a bill that would force journalists involved in "fact-checking" to register with the state of Michigan and pay $1,000 in daily fines if they "mistakenly" call a politician's claim false.
According to WWMT, the decision to expel Maddock from the caucus is highly unusual.
"The last Michigan state Rep. to be removed from caucus was in 2019, when Grand Traverse Co. Republican Rep. Larry Inman was removed after being charged with bribery, extortion and lying to an FBI agent," said the report. "In 2015, Republican Rep. Cindy Gamrat of Plainwell was removed from the House Republican Caucus after being accused of breaching caucus confidentiality rules by posting on Facebook about legislation, an accusation Gamrat denied at the time."
This comes after Michigan Republicans moved to nominate hardline extremists and conspiracy theorists for statewide office at their party convention, including Matt DePerno for attorney general and Kristina Karamo for Secretary of State — both of whom have espoused Trump's "Big Lie" that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
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