Michigan GOP leader apologizes after calling Capitol riot a 'hoax'

FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2019 file photo, state Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, watches during the State of the State address at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. Michigan lawmakers plan to convene for the first time in weeks to lengthen Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's emergency declaration amid the coronavirus pandemic but are at odds over the extension and whether the session is even necessary. The Republican-led Legislature is scheduled to meet Tuesday, April 7, 2020, three weeks after last voting. Shirkey's spokeswoman said “He thinks we can come to some middle ground in terms of the extension, and that doesn't preclude it from being extended again if were necessary at some point.” (AP Photo/Al Goldis, File)