
House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Franklin), right, meets with colleagues on the Senate floor on May 1, 2019. (Erik Schelzig, Tennessee Journal)
House Speaker Glen Casada hs released a statement about his efforts to manage the crisis facing his office over lewd and racist text messages The Franklin Republican says he wants more “actual facts” to become known by members of his caucus.
Heres the full statement:
As we move into the weekend, I wanted to share a quick update on the immediate steps we are taking to follow up on the Action Plan released earlier this week to address recent issues and concerns.
Today I submitted a letter to the Chairman of the House Ethics Committee requesting that they issue an advisory opinion concerning my actions taken relative to the resignation of my former Chief of Staff. I welcome feedback from this bipartisan committee.
I have learned that a special prosecutor has been appointed by the District Attorney Generals’ Conference to begin investigating the email from Mr. Justin Jones that was forwarded by my former Chief of Staff to the local District Attorney. My desire is for this independent review to be completed as quickly and thoroughly as possible and for all of the facts to come out. To that end, I have instructed the Speaker’s office and the joint Legislative Information Services staff to fully and immediately comply with all requests for information related to that email made by the special prosecutor.
Finally, I support the call by some of my Republican members for an upcoming GOP Caucus meeting to continue to hear and address lingering concerns. I am confident the more my colleagues have actual facts before them the better.
We will continue to update you as we implement our Action Plan to bring clarity and transparency to this process, to reestablish trust where it has been broken, and to return to the people’s business.
Don’t let the door hit ya, where the good Lord split ya!
Don’t get too excited James, you won’t like the next Speaker either. Whoever it is probably supported a Constitutional Convention and I am sure is not a true constitutional conservative.
Yeah you could be Right.
Hang in there Glen! Don’t let them run you off! This too, shall pass.
I guess these are doctored photos? Fake News!
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/new-pics-show-close-relationship-between-casada-cothren
“To that end, I have instructed the Speaker’s office and the joint Legislative Information Services staff to fully and immediately comply with all requests for information related to that email made by the special prosecutor.”
As opposed to instructing them NOT to comply?
Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with.
—Thomas Carlyle
Hang in there Glen!
You’re sick.
Looks like the FBI will be helping to sort all of this out. I predicted that over a year ago in a previous post. Every so often we seem to need a Rocky Top style cleanout to set things straight.
I read between the lines of his statement: I can do anything and I will not be held accountable and I will not resign. Deal with it.
That’s what I got out of it as well, James..
Stuart-I have a quick question. Glen is paying a political operative 48k in state money with full benefits, but not requiring him to work or have an office. This same individual was paid $125k by Casada’s PAC. This same man-Michael Lofti-attacked women online that were trying to hold Rep Byrd accountable for admittedly fondling underage women. Is this ok also? I am told hiring him was possibly to secure Andy Holt’s vote for his Speakership. I can’t prove that, but Phil Williams has proven the rest so far. Seriously-is this just part of the unique style of a Williamson County Speaker?
I wonder if it was Casada or Holt who peed in Tillis’ office. Maybe both at the same time now that Cothern isn’t there to play son to Daddy Casada.
Sounds like something a pig farmer would do. I don’t know who did it.
Lenny, I don’t want to frighten you, and I have no particular credentials to give you a mental diagnosis, but just from reading your responses it seems to me you have the oddest fixation with urine and bodily functions dealing with the expelling of urine. It’s up to you, of course, but you might have this looked into.
https://mobile.twitter.com/emwest22/status/1126613538250874880
It wasn’t me who urinated in Rep. Tillis’ office or asked my chief of staff how long he lasts and text a smiley when he replies calling me Daddy.
Phil, your “quick question” is actually a series of questions which as a conservative I have no difficulty answering. You lay out a fact pattern about no-show jobs etc. which if true seems to me to be a clear violation of the law. As a conservative I am a big “law and order guy” so I think that somebody should call the appropriate cops who would conduct an investigation. If as a result of the investigation an indictment is returned and, heaven forbid, my friend Glen after being afforded due process is convicted of a crime I’m afraid having done the crime he and his accomplices must do the time. Surely you don’t think any of this gives me or any conservative any problem.
I can’t really answer as to what Mr. Lofti did online. When you make a charge against someone, especially a public figure, about a crime allegedly committed decades ago and as a result the accused has almost no way of defending him/herself I would expect the you should prepare to be subject to very strenuous and unpleasant questioning and more than the usual skepticism. Whether or not Lofti went too far in his attempts to defend Byrd and attack the credibility of the women I don’t know.
Sorry, I don’t know Phil Williams from a pile of rocks. I assume he is a mainstream media guy so you cam understand that insofar as the mainstream media is so hopelessly hostile to the conservative worldview in general and conservatives, whether officeholders or candidates or students from a Catholic high school in Kentucky, in particular, that as a conservative I obviously take there latest expose with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, I believe credible instances of law breaking should always be investigated and prosecutions should take place wherever necessary.
Williamson County is a wonderful place, though frankly I wish the residents were a little more conservative than they are. There is nothing unique about public officeholders from Williamson County. Government by its nature entails a monopoly of power and control at the end of the day therefore it is regarded with suspicion and downright hostility by conservatives. As a result government attracts individuals interested in exercising power and control to whatever end so when they are found to have gone too far and violated the law conservatives are the last to be surprised or sympathetic.
LOL. Stuart, you are no conservative.
Nicely said, Stuart. My thoughts to a “T”ennessee. It seems that being a Conservative (to a RINO or Liberal) does not allow for 1) innocent until proven guilty, 2) due process, 3) loyalty, or 4) 1st Amendment Rights to free speech even if YOU do not like it. I will satisfy myself, as I wait for this to blow over, with the satisfaction of knowing President Trump is still President. And Representative Glen Casada is still Speaker.
Not a fan of Harris, but:
https://tennesseefirearms.com/2019/05/tennessee-firearms-association-calls-for-house-members-to-remove-speaker-casada/
Stuart?
There is no doubt by anyone including Glen that he was responsible for a number of bad judgements in this situation. The only disagreement is whether his bad judgements should cost him his job. I don’t believe they should in view of the big picture in which the only victims of Glen’s bad judgement are Glen and Cothren and the political ramification of Glen losing his job.
Politics ain’t bean-bag. Eventually everybody has to ask himself whether Glen is more of a political liability than he is worth. There is no easy answer to this and Glen’s worth fluctuates like an issue on the stock market. The TFA is in the cat-bird seat insofar as it can be assured that no matter who replaces Glen will be a Republican who pretty much checks all the boxes regarding the issues of concern to the TFA. On the other hand, conservatives are not in such an enviable position. Yesterday someone on another thread indicated that whoever replaces Glen would be just as conservative. I have my doubts. Glen is the most ideologically conservative speaker we have had in decades. The House is full of Republicans who are non-ideological centrists, or at best tepid conservative placeholders, whose career is pockmarked with craven, feckless capitulations designed to keep them in their precious office. There is a very good possibility that if Glen is replaced his replacement will be nowhere near as conservative as Glen as the Republicans seek an unGlen rather than a Glen reasonable facsimile as a replacement. Thus, personal relations and feelings aside, politically I think it’s very important to conservatives that Glen rides out the storm and he remains Speaker.
With all due respect, when you use taxpayer money to further this culture-you have crossed another line. Criminality. Fraud. Felony. Those who knowingly approved it and those who knowingly accepted it. Criminal. Felony.
By all means then let the investigations proceed, in the meantime the presumption of innocence is in effect, the legislature is no longer in session, so there is no reason to disturb the status quo.
SMH
Lord have mercy. Casada went on talk radio every chance he could get to say he’s God’s chosen speaker. When it comes out he’s an adulterer, we cover it up with cries of “Doctored photos!” When the texts and photos come out showing him trying to score a threesome with his junky chief of staff and interns, we say “Fake News!” When the FBI starts a bribery investigation and Republicans start distancing themselves, we say “innocent unitl proven guilty”?
Like the FBI has such a sterling reputation for ferreting out political corruption, Lenny? How about they start at their own Headquarters in Washington, DC? I respect very little coming out of the FBI associated with Politics anymore. Very, very little.