DIRTY LAUNDRY: Tennessee GOP under new scrutiny after booting Dems from statehouse

DIRTY LAUNDRY: Tennessee GOP under new scrutiny after booting Dems from statehouse

Tennessee Republicans have taken the bold and unprecedented step of booting two Democrats from their legislature for standing in support of gun control legislation. (They tried for three but didn’t collect enough votes.)

In the process, they pulled the whole country’s attention — and their House Speaker might not be enjoying the spotlight.

After yet another mass murder at yet another school in this country — this one in Nashville — with yet another semiautomatic rifle, high schoolers took their grievances straight to their elected representatives, holding a protest at the State House.

The few legislators who supported their protest were punished, booted off their committees, and their membership in the legislature put to a vote, resulting in the expulsion of two of the three.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, though, may have made a mistake.

The process drew attention to him, including his personal life and his residence, which one independent journalist says may not actually be in the district he ran to represent.

In fact, he’s turned up a list of concerns about Sexton’s residence, and how he represents it.

Based on the available evidence, he — along with activists watching the Tennessee House — are asking the speaker to come clean and either admit that he’s not constitutionally eligible to represent the 25th District, or prove that he is.

Judd Legum, on Popular.Info, says:

“During the legislative session, representatives who live a significant distance from Nashville generally stay in Nashville during the week and commute home during the weekend. But the Tennessee legislature is only in session from January to April. According to one of Sexton’s Crossville neighbors, he lives elsewhere year-round. “

Legum shares a list of details, including that Sexton’s youngest son is enrolled at a school more than two hours from the legislator’s official residence, and that Sexton is often seen at events there, documented in photos on the school’s social media; that property records show the sale of one address that is nonetheless still listed on his official website; that the address he used for re-election is a condo in a retirement community where, as noted above, at least one neighbor says he’s not actually staying year-round.

An email sent to Sexton’s official email address asking for clarification of these matters for Washington Press has received no reply.

That’s not all — one local attorney has even alleged that Sexton and other members of the Tennessee legislature are engaged in extramarital affairs, and threatened that he’ll expose them if these legislators attempt to prevent the expelled Democrats from the legal reappointment process, though he’s so far offered no corroborating evidence for the public eye.

Regardless of the outcome of those allegations, though, they clearly represent the nation taking a closer look at these legislators and their behavior.

Brian Manookian tweeted:

Another independent journalist, Cari Wade Gervin, also alleges that she once received information about Sexton from an alleged affair partner, but says that her contact got shy, and if that individual or anyone else wants to come forward with information, she’s ready to receive it.

(So are we!)

Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph.

Stephanie Bazzle

Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here: