Sohn: Calls for Casada to be investigated should not be ignored

Calls are mounting for investigations into the spending and actions of Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada, who is expected to resign his speakership on Aug. 2 after a vote of no confidence last month.

A special session is scheduled Aug. 23 to elect a new speaker, after Casada, R-Franklin, announced he would step down when Gov. Bill Lee gave him an extra push. Casada had been found to have shared sexually explicit and racist texts with his former chief of staff, and the two have been accused of spying on fellow legislators.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Mike Stewart, who wants the investigations, said in a Wednesday news conference: "We're not going to allow a special session to become a tool for a cover-up."

Stewart, a Nashville attorney, fired off letters last week seeking a full audit and investigation by Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson, a Republican legislative appointee, and Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk, an elected Democrat. Stewart also said he filed a public records request of the speaker's office.

It's not Stewart's first request for probes. In early May, he said he would formally ask the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee and the Department of Justice's Public Corruption Unit to investigate if any state or federal laws were broken based on The Tennessean's report that Cade Cothren, the now-former chief of staff, had a surveillance system in his office allowing him to monitor committee meeting rooms even when they weren't being used for official committee business.

Those rooms are used for a variety of purposes when not under the gavel - party caucus meetings, discussions between lawmakers and citizens, and the usual sort of dealmaking that greases the skids of a republic - and legislators, and the public, assume those meetings aren't being recorded or broadcast.

But The Tennessean also reported there were "white noise" devices installed in and outside Casada's office - to prevent others from spying on him.

Casada has acknowledged bulking up staff hires. And he paid Cothren almost $200,000 a year before Cothren stepped down over the sexist and racist text scandal, as well as acknowledging he had snorted cocaine in his office several years ago.

In the public records request to Casada's new chief of staff, Stewart asked for documents for all expenditures since January, all time sheets, parking garage records and emails for Michael Lotfi, a political operative hired by Casada and paid $4,000 a month but not required to come to the office, according to the Daily Memphian.

Stewart's investigation requests also seek "a determination of whether those staff positions were misused for political purposes."

In addition, Stewart asked the comptroller to look into all contracts and financial agreements, including funds paid to outside attorneys and consultants; all use of state property, including aircraft and vehicles; and all expenditures for security staff assigned to protect the speaker.

Citing Nashville news accounts that House spending soared by $3 million under Casada, Stewart said he wants to know precisely how that money was spent.

A spokesman for the DA's office told the Daily Memphian on Wednesday that Funk has not made a determination on the request and that it remains under review. Stewart told the Times Free Press he thinks Comptroller Wilson is "independent" enough to act on Democrats' request.

Neither investigation should be an option.

When the actions of the No. 2 person in the Tennessee General Assembly are linked with spying on fellow lawmakers and likely spending our money to do it, he and his associates should be investigated. Period. No matter the party affiliations.