Prior to May 9, news reports documented without dispute that Speaker Glen Casada had been willfully dishonest when he attempted to cover up his involvement in the text messaging and misconduct scandal, some of which involved the use of illegal drugs by the Chief of Staff while in government offices.  Those initial reports revealed that Glen Casada knew who released the text messages prior to an interview with Phil Williams but Casada intentionally questioned the existence and source of the text messages in the  interview with Phil Williams and in a radio spot with Phil Valentine of WWTN 99.7 FM (” Now we know that @GlenCasada lied to me when he made up this vast left-wing conspiracy theory just to cover for this idiot Cothren whom Casada had the bad judgement to make his chief of staff. Time to go.” – Twitter post on May 8, 2019).

Since TFA's initial call on House members to remove Glen Casada as Speaker, circumstances have continued to get worse as news reports continue to expose the corruption, misconduct and poor judgment of Casada.  These include reports that Casada put a well known political operative, who was apparently previously terminated as a House employee in 2016, again on the legislative payroll at $48,000 per year plus full benefits.  That political operative, who was paid over $123,000 by Casada's personal political action committee ("CAS PAC") in 2018, resigned this week and that a criminal investigation has started over Casada's use of donations to his political action committee. Another report indicates that additional text messages have been located involving Casada after he indicated that there were only two.

But perhaps the most troubling development is a news report on May 17, 2019, indicating that the "referral" to the House Ethics committee, under the control of Rep. Matthew Hill, is just another component in the Casada Cover-up scandal by which Casada or his operatives have attempted to "rig and predetermine" what should be an unbiased ethical investigation.  In this report, Rep. Mike Carter, a member of the Ethics committee, discloses that he was called into Rep. Hill's office alone to meet with Rep. Hill and two legislative staff attorneys.  Although the Ethics committee had not met on this matter yet, Rep. Carter was presented with a pre-written statement of facts and conclusions exonerating Glen Casada of any wrongdoing by the Ethics Committee which Carter indicated did not seem appropriate in light of the public known facts.

Rep. Carter is further quoted as saying "my concern with the meeting is that it shows a heart for  misrepresentation and political maneuvering to save the requestor's office even at a loss of reputation and integrity of the House Ethics Committee.... this is the most egregious act I have been made aware of ...it is not an allegation of past conduct, it is proof of present state of mind and present conduct."

There is now a well founded concern that any report that might at any time be issued by the Tennessee House Ethics Committee as to the conduct, affairs, and alleged misconduct of Glen Casada will be no more truthful that the "Trump dossier". That process has been, based on these reports, so inappropriately influenced by Casada and his political operatives that there is no credible basis to believe that any such report will be anything other than part of the Casada Corruption Cover Up.

At this point, Tennessee Firearms Association is genuinely concerned about the ethical and moral qualifications of Glen Casada to serve in a public stewardship, not just in holding the Speaker's office but also in serving in any capacity in the General Assembly.  Now, there is even some growing evidence that the concern for integrity and truthfulness may not be limited to Casada.

All appearances of official misconduct and improprieties weight strongly against Glen Casada's continued public service.  Indeed, when the Governor, the former governor, the Lt. Governor, Senator Jack Johnson, many House members, former Congressman Zach Wamp and others are openly questioning whether it is even possible for Glen Casada to continue as Speaker, it would be almost impossible for an unbiased House to retain him in that presiding office or as part of their number.

Harris commented “the members of the Tennessee Legislature have an affirmative and fiduciary duty to the people of Tennessee to protect the office of Speaker from being held by people who lack the integrity, truthfulness or trust that must be unquestionably present to serve in that office. Speaker Casada, by his conduct and willful dishonesty in a matter of public interest, has unquestionably shown to the other members and the public that he is unqualified to serve in of the highest offices of public trust in the State.  Further, new revelations of apparent cover up attempts and manipulation of the Ethics system now heighten the concerns for the reputation of the entire House of Representative should Casada not be removed.”

The members of the Tennessee Legislature individually and collectively owe a duty to the people of the state of Tennessee to set aside personal friendships, loyalties and partisan partialities that they may have and act now to remove Glen Casada from the office of Speaker and to carefully select a replacement who can be fully and unquestionably trusted by the people of this state in this high office.

About the Tennessee Firearms Association. The TFA is a nonprofit Tennessee corporation that is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(4) issue advocacy group.  TFA's focus is on issues that relate the rights and interests of Tennesseans under the 2nd Amendment as well as related interests in hunting, sport shooting, collecting and state sovereignty.  TFA has been repeatedly recognized by the Tennessee Legislature for its dedication to protecting the rights and interests of Tennesseans.