NASHVILLE — The House Ethics Committee is scheduled to take up a formal complaint today alleging that newly elected House Speaker Kent Williams recently lied when he said he never sexually harassed a female lawmaker nearly two years ago.
Committee Chairman Ulysses Jones, D-Memphis, said he has asked legal counsel whether Rep. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, who filed the complaint, has legal standing to bring the complaint before the panel, half of whose 12 members are Democrats and half of whom are Republicans.
“I just want this issue to be fully investigated and, if it becomes necessary, that the House acts in its capacity to discipline him or remove him as a legislator,” Rep. Kelsey said.
Republicans are furious with Rep. Williams, R-Elizabethton, saying he lied when he promised to back Majority Leader Jason Mumpower, R-Bristol, for speaker. Instead, Rep. Williams allowed all 49 House Democrats to vote for him as speaker which, combined with his own vote for himself, gave him a 50-49 victory.
Days later, Rep. Mumpower released at news organizations’ request a 2007 memo he wrote detailing informal harassment allegations against Rep. Williams by Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mount Juliet. Rep. Lynn contended Rep. Williams offered her a week’s salary to see her “naked.”
Rep. Williams said while the General Assembly’s privacy policy bans him from discussing case specifics, “I have never harassed anyone in my life.”
Among those serving on the ethics panel is Rep. Mumpower.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Republican Party is nearing a final decision on expelling Rep. Williams from the party, Chairwoman Robin Smith said.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, she expects to follow soon-to-come executive committee’s recommendations, Ms. Smith said. Party bylaws require legislative Republicans to back Republican leaders.
About 50 executive committee members plus Rep. Mumpower and Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, were on a conference call Monday, she said.
“I can tell you my sense is that the committee and the leadership that was on the call ... are reflecting the fact that this guy has dishonored the Republican Party not based on a vote but based on the fact that our principles don’t mean anything if they’re not built on honor and trust,” she said.
Andy Sher is a Nashville-based staff writer covering Tennessee state government and politics for the Times Free Press. A Washington correspondent from 1999-2005 for the Times Free Press, Andy previously headed up state Capitol coverage for The Chattanooga Times, worked as a state Capitol reporter for The Nashville Banner and was a contributor to The Tennessee Journal, among other publications. Andy worked for 17 years at The Chattanooga Times covering police, health care, county government, ...
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