NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says in a video posted online by a Meigs County political activist that he expects embattled state Rep. David Byrd to leave the House “soon.”
But a spokeswoman for the Republican governor on Wednesday said the governor thought the woman was asking him about GOP House Speaker Glen Casada, who is resigning his post next month.
Lee has previously stated that Byrd, a Waynesboro Republican and retired Wayne County school system coach, should publicly address allegations by three former female basketball players who accuse him of sexual misconduct during the late 1980s.
The governor, who met earlier this year with one of Byrd’s accusers, Christi Rice, also has said he found Rice “credible.”
Lee is also said by an administration official to have applied pressure on Byrd a month or so ago, directly asking Byrd not to seek re-election in 2020. Byrd is said to have replied he wanted time to think about it.