In a phone conversation from Michigan, McCotter declined to theorize on what caused this to happen, but said, “At the end of the day, somewhere in the process, I was lied to by somebody that was trusted.”

“I don’t want to speculate, man,” McCotter continued. “And I’m just saying that, because it’s uncool. The buck stops here.”

Asked if he thinks there’s any chance he could’ve been the victim of some sort of sinister plot, McCotter said, “Anything’s possible. Somebody could have panicked and tried to help me. Somebody could have plotted and tried to hurt me. This is what the Secretary of State will try to find out.”