NASHVILLE – An attorney for Cade Cothren, the former chief of staff to then-Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada, says her client is invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and won’t appear before a state campaign finance watchdog Wednesday regarding his alleged involvement in 2020 as the head of a political action committee that attacked a Casada critic.
“Cade Cothren objects to and will not respond to your subpoena,” Nashville-based criminal defense attorney Cynthia A. Sherwood wrote in her Feb. 16 letter to the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance. “This objection is based on the grounds that these subpoenas were made in bad faith and are an abuse of process.
“Furthermore,” Sherwood added, “Mr. Cothren invokes his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.”
Sherwood also accused the registry of acting in bad faith, noting, “The nature of this investigation into Mr. Cothren and the powers vested in the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance can lead to criminal penalties. Indeed, the subpoenas at issue state expressly the opposite: ‘Whereas the results of the registry’s investigation indicates that a criminal act may have occurred, the registry is obligated to refer the matter to the appropriate law enforcement authorities for prosecution.’ Mr. Cothren, therefore, invokes his Fifth Amendment privilege against compelled disclosure.”
Registry officials, who made the letter available to the Times Free Press on Tuesday, had no immediate comment.