A Republican lawmaker has said he will not resign after falsely claiming he was caught having sex with a gay rentboy in order to hide an alleged affair with a female politician.

Todd Causer, of Michigan, has apologized to his family, his constituents and the family of his alleged lover Republican Cindy Gamrat.

He claims he was the target of a blackmail attempt.

On Friday, The Detroit News cited audio recordings reporting that Courser had a staff member send an email to distract attention from his alleged affair.

In a long, rambling, over 27 minute audio statement, Courser thanked those who have ‘prayed’ for him and his family and attempted to explain why he, personally, sent the email.

‘My actions in and around these events in the email that was sent to misdirect attention were my doing both in planning and execution,’ Courser said.

Claiming he was sent an anonymous text threatening to reveal the information, he says he sent the email to try to get the blackmailer to expose themselves.

‘It was over the top, it was wrong, and as soon as the steps were taken, I can tell you how it worked out, but… it was not my finest moment,’ Courser added.

But despite many people calling for him to resign, he has refused.

‘But to change the country, men and women must be able to stand unafraid even when they’re a broken messenger. And I’m a certainly a broken messenger,’ he said.

‘I have chosen to stay and make them play their hand. I think it is absolutely necessary to have these clandestine operations to control public officials be exposed. So I have refused to leave quietly and have decided that these efforts really need to come out.’