NASHVILLE – Battling to keep his leadership post, Republican House Speaker Glen Casada attacked state Rep. Mike Carter late Friday afternoon in an email to GOP Caucus members who are set to consider a no-confidence vote on Casada next week.
Among other issues, the speaker lashed out at the Ooltewah lawmaker’s suggestion Casada was trying to “rig and predetermine” a draft ethics opinion on a text messaging scandal involving the speaker and a former top aide.
In advance of the Republican Caucus’ planned meeting Monday, Casada called Carter’s charge about trying to steer the House Ethics Committee the “most maddening allegation made to date,” saying “I have done absolutely nothing to influence any work of the Ethics Committee. Period.”
Casada called it “nothing more than a deliberate attempt to mislead and an absolute disgrace from someone that should know better. At the very least, he should have had the decency to call me first.”
He also criticized other assertions Carter made in his letter to GOP Caucus members.