Five-term Republican Michigan Rep. Thaddeus McCotter's campaign now has more than just a write-in campaign to worry about.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced Thursday that his office will launch an investigation into charges that McCotter's campaign may have falsified or duplicated signatures in an attempt to get on the ballot in the state's 11th Congressional District's primary.
"We will follow the facts, without fear or favor," Schuette, a Republican, said in a statement. "It's our duty to maintain the integrity of our election process. We will conduct a thorough and comprehensive investigation. If evidence of criminal violations is uncovered, we will not hesitate to prosecute."
McCotter promises to cooperate with the investigation.
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"I thank the Michigan Secretary of State and Attorney General for commencing the criminal investigation of petitions I requested Tuesday: I will assist as they see fit," McCotter said in a statement.
The investigation comes after Michigan's Secretary of State's Bureau of Elections called for the Attorney General's Criminal Division to look into the matter.
The Detroit News reported Wednesday that 87 percent of the 136 pages of signatures McCotter's campaign turned into the Secretary of State's office were determined to be "invalid."
In a response to the accusations, McCotter told the Detroit News the "buck stops here with me for the failure to file sufficient petition signatures," but added that he believes he has been bamboozled.
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Former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox told the Observer and Eccentric newspaper Thursday that McCotter's actions indicated that "he doesn't care about Congress anymore."
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