Lawmaker charged with corruption appears in court
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A state lawmaker accused of soliciting a bribe for votes last summer has pleaded not guilty to corruption charges.
Rep. Larry Inman appeared in Grand Rapids federal court on Tuesday, about two weeks after he was indicted by a grand jury .
Inman is accused of urging a union to round up campaign contributions from other labor groups to ensure that lawmakers would block repeal of a wage law.
In a text message, he says: "Carpenters have been good to me, where are the rest of the trades on checks?"
Inman says his messages to carpenters union representatives have been misinterpreted by investigators. He ended up voting for the repeal against the wishes of labor unions. The government says no money changed hands.
Inman has resisted calls to resign.