The cozy relationship between a lobbying firm and former House Speaker

Investigators for the Attorney General’s office suspect Lee Chatfield of being involved in a “criminal enterprise” involving embezzlement, bribery, tax evasion and misconduct in office. Much of what’s suspected of the former speaker has to do with his relationships with lobbyists.

As the former leader of the lower House in Lansing, he wielded a broad range of powers to make things happen. Some are saying he did that for private interests that may have been doing him economic favors.

“Lawmakers come and go, but these (lobby) firms remain, and they look to build relationships with legislators.” — Craig Mauger, reporter

Listen: What Lee Chatfield’s scandal means for Michigan’s politics.

Guests

Craig Mauger covers state government and politics for the Detroit News. He recently wrote a piece about how former State Rep. Lee Chatfield provided a foothold in state government for lobbyists.

Mauger says Chatfield rented an apartment from one of lobbying firm’s high-profile clients.

“Lawmakers come and go, but these (lobby) firms remain,” says Mauger. “And they look to build relationships with legislators and in the case of Lee Chatfield, we had a situation where Speaker Chatfield had an extremely close relationship with members of the firm Governmental Consultant Services Incorporated.”

Rick Pluta is a senior state Capitol correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He says lobbyists have a lot of power to dictate the work of policymakers in Lansing.

“I remember, early on, one of the things a lobbyist told me was, ‘This place couldn’t operate without lobbyists,’” says Pluta.