Rep. Mike Carter speaks during the Education Mini-Summit 2016 at the Volkswagen Conference Center on Sept. 20.
NASHVILLE - State Rep. Mike Carter, R-Ooltewah, said Tuesday he wants a special legislative session to remove Tennessee Republican House Speaker Glen Casada not only from the speaker position but as a member of the General Assembly.
Casada announced Tuesday he would step down as speaker after a resounding "no confidence" vote of 45-24 by Republican Caucus members, followed by a call from Republican Gov. Bill Lee for him to vacate the speakership. The ongoing scandal over his inappropriate responses to text messages from a former aide and other concerns recently brought to light have affected his ability to lead and overshadowed the work that legislators should be focusing on for Tennessee voters, they said.
Casada said Tuesday that he will meet with Republican Caucus leaders once he returns from a scheduled vacation to determine the best date for him to resign as speaker.
But Carter said in an interview that Casada's statement "left me with more questions than answers. No date was given, and there was no statement that he would resign [from] the House as well as his speaker position."
If Casada remains in the House, Carter said, "it would be difficult to work with him after you voted no confidence, and it could fractionalize the Republican Caucus." Moreover, the attorney said, removing Casada as a representative "may be essential to his removal as speaker."
Efforts to reach Casada or obtain a reaction to Carter's plan via a House official were unsuccessful.
Noting that a Monday comment by the governor about calling a special session hinged on "if the speaker didn't resign," Laine Arnold, the governor's spokeswoman, said that, "as of today, with the news of the speaker's intent to resign, we do not currently have plans to call a special session."
But, she added, "we will continue to monitor the situation."
The petition for a special session, Carter said, must contain at least 66 House members' signatures, a two-thirds majority. Also, the Senate must vote by a two-thirds majority to concur in the special session.
Carter's idea drew praise from Rep. Rick Tillis, R-Lewisburg, an early Casada critic. In a tweet, Tillis, whose district includes part of Marion County, stated, "I have served with Judge Carter for three sessions and witnessed his intellect and insight into legislation and matters of law.
"This opinion is based on actions and fact," Tillis added. "It speaks truthfully to the situation at hand."
Casada, a veteran lawmaker who in January attained his longterm goal of becoming speaker, became embroiled late in the session in news reports about controversial and sexually explicit text messages in a text string. The three-year-old texts were between Casada, then-aide Cade Cothren and an unidentified man Casada later identified as a former GOP political consultant who leaked them.
Casada didn't initiate the sexist tests, but he responded jokingly or approvingly to three Cothren texts about women, according to reports by The Tennessean and WTVF-TV.
There were other controversies as well, and they kept piling up. Cothren resigned last week amid a news report that he once texted about using cocaine in a legislative office building.
One controversy drew in Carter, a member of the Ethics Committee. Casada asked the panel to look into his handling of Cothren, his chief of staff. After being shown a proposed draft advisory opinion by the chairman, Carter later said he suspected it was an effort by Casada to "rig and predetermine" the outcome, which Casada later angrily denied.
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.
Casada controversies
- Embattled Tennessee speaker Glen Casada resigns from leadership role
- Gov. Lee says he knows nothing of alleged Casada bribe to break school voucher vote deadlock
- Tennessee House Republican Caucus Chairman Cameron Sexton nominated by GOP lawmakers to be next speaker
- Casada denies offering National Guard promotion, pork barrel projects to win votes on Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's school voucher bill
- Embattled House Speaker Glen Casada says he can't afford alimony
- Tennessee House GOP candidates for speaker vow not to follow Casada's style
- Democrats call on Tennessee Comptroller, Nashville DA to investigate Speaker Casada spending, hires
- Gov. Lee calls for August special legislative session to replace House Speaker Glen Casada
- Tennessee House GOP to meet July 24 to nominate replacement for Speaker Casada
- Gov. Lee to call Tennessee lawmakers into August special session to replace Speaker Casada
- House Democratic Caucus chairman says Speaker Casada's 'cronies' hope to retain power with special session
- Hamilton County lawmakers want House Speaker Casada to go sooner, not later
- Critics decry 'disgraced' House Speaker Casada's ability to name appointees to new sports gaming advisory, judicial discipline panels
- Rep. Curtis Johnson announces bid for Tennessee House speaker, pledges to 'restore credibility, trustworthiness'
- Vanderbilt poll: Voters across political spectrum say Glen Casada should step down from House speakership
- Casada, Carter trade barbs over Tennessee House speaker's resignation, replacement
- Embattled Tennessee House Speaker Casada announces Aug. 2 resignation, asks Gov. Lee to call special session on replacement
- Rep. Smith hopes to gain support from fellow freshmen in potential Tennessee House speaker bid
- Post-Casada job requirement: Ability to restore public trust
- Rep. Robin Smith on House speaker bid: 'I'm not saying I would never run, but at this time, I'm watching'
- Chattanooga area lawmakers share thoughts on GOP Caucus' no-confidence vote on Casada
- Timeline: The rise and fall of Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada
- Rep. Carter pledges 'clean break' as he announces bid to replace Casada as Tennessee House speaker
- Rep. Carter preparing petition to remove Casada as General Assembly member, not just as House speaker
- Tennessee Republican House Speaker Glen Casada announces his resignation
- Gov. Lee calls on House Speaker Glen Casada to resign or face special session
- Tennessee House GOP hits embattled Speaker Glen Casada with no-confidence vote
- Reps. Carter, Smith offer different takes on embattled Tennessee House Speaker Casada
- Embattled House Speaker Casada faces 'no confidence' vote today in GOP Caucus but supporters may offer censure motion
- Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada attacks Mike Carter over criticisms
- Former top aide for Tennessee's embattled House speaker to stay on payroll until July
- Rep. Carter: If ethics panel is not 'above rank political maneuvering and conniving then we as a body are lost'
- Ethics Committee member Mike Carter calls on Tennessee House Speaker Casada to resign amid text messaging scandal
- Tennessee House GOP Caucus members to meet to discuss political fate of embattled Speaker Glen Casada
- Glen Casada controversy opens old wounds from 2018 Hamilton County state House GOP primary
- Tennessee legislative Black Caucus calls on Speaker Glen Casada to resign over racial texts, other issues
- Yet another Tennessee Republican House member calls on Glen Casada to resign
- Embroiled in controversies, Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada battles on after Lt. Gov. McNally says it's time to go
- Reps. Hazlewood, Carter lose faith in Tennessee Speaker Glen Casada amid text messaging scandal, other issues
- Tennessee Firearms Association head calls on House to oust Glen Casada as speaker
- Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada apologizes for text message controversies, pledges changes after some Republicans call for his resignation
- Tennessee House Democrats demand federal investigation into claims that Casada eavesdropped on private meetings
- Bill Lee wants public confidence 'fully restored' after Casada text message scandal
- Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada 'sorry' over text scandal but won't resign
- After admitting drug use, Tennessee House speaker's top aide resigns amid allegations of racist and sexually explicit texts