Report: Durham subpoenaed for Kelsey grand jury
Sam Stockard of the Tennessee Lookout has some interesting details on former Rep. Jeremy Durham (R-Franklin) being subpoenaed to testify to the grand jury about Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown), who was indicted last week on federal campaign finance and conspiracy charges.
UPDATE: Kelsey pleaded not guilty on Monday morning, per the Daily Memphian.
According to the Lookout, Durham was called to testify on March 11:
As part of the subpoena, Durham was required to provide copies of all documents and records related to Kelsey, Kelsey’s wife, Amanda Bunning, his wife, Jessica Durham, Josh Smith, Andrew “Andy” Miller, Zach Crandell, Matt Schlapp of the American Conservative Union, Dan Schneider, Ryan McGowan, Clifford Pintak, Kelsey for Congress, Red State PAC, VoteKelsey.com, American Conservative Union, Citizens 4 Ethics in Government PAC and any entity representing Kelsey and his associated political campaigns.
We know who the Kelseys and the Durhams are, along with Standard club owner Josh Smith and conservative donor Andy Smith. Here’s our best guess at some of the others named in the subpoena:
Schlapp is the chairman of the American Conservative Union, the Washington-based group that puts on CPAC conferences. McGowan is the ACU’s finance director, Dan Schneider is its executive director, and Crandell was the group’s creative director until September. Pintak is a political ad consultant based in northern Virginia.
Durham was also ordered to turn in all records relating to the funds transferred between the various entities and the Standard Club PAC, plus any relevant calendars, diaries, meeting minutes, receipts, or statements, along with emails, text messages, voice mails, phone calls, logs, and metadata.
Kelsey in a Senate floor speech last week intimated that the chief witness in the case against him had been offered immunity in return for his testimony. Durham and Kelsey have long been close friends.
Kelsey: ‘I’m totally innocent’
State Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) hosted a Zoom call with reporters on Monday to denounce his federal indictment as politically motivated. Kelsey appeared with the Senate chamber as the backdrop.
Here’s what Kelsey had to say:
Look, this is nothing but a political witch hunt. The Biden administration is trying to take me out because I’m a conservative and I’m the No. 1 target of the Tennessee Democratic Party. I won my seat only 51% to 49% last time, and the Democrats think this will make the difference. They’re wrong. These 5-year-old, unfounded allegations have been reviewed and re-reviewed. They were wrong then, and they’re wrong now. I’m totally innocent, and I look forward to being cleared at trial.”
Kelsey’s attorney Ty Howard also spoke on the brief call.
“Let me state clearly and empathically from the start, these allegations are false,” Howard said. “Sen. Kelsey committed no crime. He is innocent. And he very much looks forward to his day in court.”
“Despite this ill-considered indictment, Sen. Kelsey and his legal team have great faith in our justice system,” Howard said. “He looks forward to being fully vindicated in a court of law. Out of respect for the legal process, we will take no questions today and this will be our only public comment during the pendency of this matter.
Read the Kelsey indictment here
The indictment of Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) has led to widespread speculation about the identities of people and organizations mentioned in the charges.
Some are are easier to pinpoint than others. For example, Unindicted Coconspirator No. 2 is described as a “member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from in or around January 2013 to in or around September 2016, when he was expelled.” That description only fits former Rep. Jeremy Durham (R-Franklin).
Political Organization No. 1 is listed as “a nonprofit corporation that hosted an annual political conference, published ratings on Members of Congress and State politicians, and issued political endorsements.” Presumably this refers to the American Conservative Union, which spent money in Kelsey’s congressional bid in 2016.
Individual No. 1 is named as the nonprofit’s director of government affairs who is now married to Kelsey. That description matches Amanda Bunning.
Coconspirator No. 1 is listed as “a Tennessee businessman and prominent political fundraiser and contributor,” who controlled a political action committee that received $30,000 from Smith’s PAC in July 2016. The Tennessean reported in 2017 the Standard Club PAC had given that amount to Citizens for Ethics in Government, the federal committee controlled by Andy Miller Jr.
Here is the full text of the indictment of state Sen. Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown):
I N D I C T M E N T
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES:
COUNT ONE
18 U.SC. § 371
(CONSPIRACY)
At all times material to this indictment unless otherwise indicated:
I. Relevant Individuals and Entities
1. BRIAN KELSEY was a practicing attorney and member of the Tennessee Senate, representing District 31, which includes parts of Shelby County, Tennessee. In 2016, KELSEY unsuccessfully ran for an open seat to represent Tennessee’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
2. Federal Committee 1 was KELSEY’S authorized federal campaign committee.
3. State Committee 1 was KELSEY’S Tennessee State Senate campaign committee.
4. JOSHUA SMITH was the owner and operator of Social Club 1, a members-only social club in Nashville, Tennessee popular among politicians and Nashville businessmen. SMITH also controlled PAC 1, a Tennessee-registered political action committee
5. Unindicted Coconspirator 1 (“UCC 1”) was a Tennessee businessman and prominent political fundraiser and contributor. UCC 1 controlled PAC 2, a federal independent expenditure-only committee.
6. Unindicted Coconspirator 2 (“UCC 2”) was a practicing attorney and member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from in or around January 2013 to in or around September 2016, when he was expelled by a vote of the House.
7. Political Organization 1 was a nonprofit corporation that hosted an annual political conference, published ratings on Members of Congress and State politicians, and issued political endorsements. Political Organization 1 registered with the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”) as a person or organization making independent expenditures.
8. Individual 1 was the Director of Government Affairs for Political Organization 1 and a member of Political Organization 1’s senior management team from in or around late 2015 until in or around March 2017. In that role, Individual 1 managed Political Organization 1’s political expenditures during the 2015-16 federal election cycle. Individual 1 and KELSEY became engaged in or around July 2017 and married in or around January 2018.
9. Individual 2 was a member of Political Organization’s senior management team. He oversaw Political Organization 1’s day-to-day operations, including managing its budget and finances. He worked closely with Individual 1 to direct all aspects of Political Organization l’s political activities, including political expenditures.
10. Individual 3 was a practicing attorney with ties to Political Organization 2, a nonprofit corporation that publicly advocated on legal and judicial issues.
11. Individual 4 was a longtime financial supporter of KELSEY’S political career.
Continue readingJacobs’ former top aide indicted on felony charge
Bryan Hair, who managed professional wrestler Glenn Jacobs’ successful campaign for Knox County mayor and later served as his chief of staff, has been indicted on a felony charge of official misconduct, the Knoxville Compass reports.
Brian Hair resigned last year after an investigation prompted in part by a public records request from the Compass about the misuse of public equipment and resources. They included Hair’s personal use of a county-owned golf cart and work done on his home by Parks and Recreation employees.
Hair did not return messages from the Compass seeking comment. He turned himself in to be booked on Thursday morning.
Jacobs, who wrestles under the name Kane, declined to comment. He told the Compass last winter that Hair’s resignation had been difficult for him, but necessary.
“I knew it had to be done, unfortunately,” Jacobs said. “On a personal level, yeah, it was really hard. Bryan’s a very good friend of mine, and he’s also a good person. And he made a mistake.”
