Latest news with #TennesseeHouse
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Protestors rally outside TN House member's office against president's tax bill
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Some Memphians protested outside a Tennessee House member's office after President Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Tax Bill' moved on to the Senate after being passed by the House. One of the House members, Republican David Kustoff, who represents the 8th congressional district of Tennessee, voted for the bill. According to The Hill, the bill — titled the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act,' adopting Trump's slogan for the measure — extends the tax cuts enacted by the president during his first term in 2017; boosts funding for border, deportation, and national defense priorities; imposes reforms, like beefed-up work requirements, on Medicaid that are projected to result in millions of low-income individuals losing health insurance; rolls back green energy tax incentives; and, among many other provisions, increases the debt limit by $4 trillion. On Tuesday, outside his office, were dozens of protesters who gathered, saying they want Kustoff to explain himself. House passes Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' in marathon overnight session Following the passage of the bill last Thursday, Congressman Kustoff released a statement saying he is 'proud to support this bill that will cement President Trump's America First agenda and deliver unprecedented relief to all Americans.' 'Because we have tried for months to have a town hall so he can hear from his constituents and hear our concerns and know how we want him to proceed, and he has ignored that, so we are here to let him know that, regardless of what you're doing. We will hold you accountable. We see you ignoring us, and we will not be ignored,' said Amber Hampton, Indivisible Memphis. 'These are not numbers, these are not just statistics, they are people that live near us,' said Hampton. 'They are our neighbors, they go to school with our children, and just because I am not directly benefiting from these programs does not mean it will have an impact on people that I care about. Or our community and prosperity of America as a whole.' WREG reached out to Congressman Kustoff's office for comment, but has not heard back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee House Republicans commend Speaker for 'uncovering' Casada-Cothren scheme
Tennessee House Republicans lauded House Speaker Cameron Sexton, left, for his role in uncovering a corruption scheme. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) In the wake of guilty verdicts in Tennessee's political corruption trial, House Republicans are lauding Speaker Cameron Sexton for alerting federal authorities to a secret political vendor and cooperating with them to get a conviction. The House Republican Caucus released a statement immediately after the case's outcome saying the guilty verdict for former Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-aide Cade Cothren 'reaffirms the principle that public office is a sacred trust, not a license for personal gain or abuse of power.' The jury found Casada guilty on 17 of 19 counts of fraud, kickbacks, bribery, money laundering and conspiracy and Cothren guilty on all 19 counts. Former Rep. Robin Smith pleaded guilty in the case and testified against the pair. The caucus said it appreciates Sexton's leadership as he was 'instrumental in uncovering illegal activity by two former members and providing critical facts to federal authorities.' The statement adds that Sexton's 'commitment to integrity in state government reflects the standards to which all public officials should be held.' Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada, ex-aide, guilty in federal corruption case Sexton, a Crossville Republican, was expected to testify for the prosecution but was never called to the stand in the four-week trial. Casada's defense attorney, Ed Yarbrough, said the absence of Sexton testimony left a hole in the prosecution's argument. Yet the defense called no witnesses to testify, including Sexton, despite issuing subpoenas to him and numerous people. Cothren and his defense team went after Sexton before the trial started, making the claim that he or one of his staff members wore a device to record conversations with lawmakers. In addition, Cothren said he helped Sexton win the House Speaker's race in 2019 after Casada resigned the post, then fell out of favor. Phoenix Solutions, the secretive company run by Cothren in cahoots with Casada and Smith, tapped into House members' postage and printing money for constituent mailers. The trio had to keep Cothren's role quiet because of his 2019 resignation from the chief of staff post in a racist and sexist texting scandal. Phoenix Solutions ran into trouble getting paid by the Legislative Administration office run by Connie Ridley. As questions arose about the vendor, Cothren signed a W-9 form as 'Matthew Phoenix,' a bogus name for the company's president, one of the linchpins for the government's case. When FBI agents raided Casada's home in January 2021, he ultimately told them that Cothren couldn't 'deal' with lawmakers or be known as running Phoenix Solutions because Sexton didn't like him. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Newsweek
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Former Republican Lawmaker Convicted on Corruption Charges
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A former Tennessee Republican House speaker was found guilty on 17 federal corruption charges on Friday. Glen Casada, who served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 2003 to 2023, was convicted on multiple charges, including theft, bribery, use of a fictitious name to carry out fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. Casada and his then-chief of staff, Cade Cothren, were indicted in August 2022. Cothren was found guilty on 19 charges. The Context Cothren was accused of starting a political mail business with the support of Casada. The company was called Phoenix Solutions, which they claimed was owned by a man named Michael Phoenix. House Republicans then used taxpayer money to hire the political mailing group, which they did not know had ties to Cothren. Phoenix Solutions received $52,000 in state tax money to create the mailers. "Had the FBI not shut this down, it would have made the conspirators a steady stream of easy money," prosecutor Blake Ellison said in his closing argument. Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada arrives at the federal courthouse in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 9, 2025. Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada arrives at the federal courthouse in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 9, 2025. AP Photo/George Walker IV What To Know Casada was found not guilty on two of the six wire fraud charges. The trial began in April. Current Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton was expected to be a key witness in the case but ultimately did not testify. Casada and Cothren did not testify in their own defense. The defense did not call any witnesses. During closing statements, the defense said there were holes in the government's case and denied that the defendants engaged in bribery. "Did the state get exactly what it paid for? Yes it did," defense attorney Cynthia Sherwood said. Casada resigned as House speaker in 2019 after a no-confidence vote by House Republicans because of several scandals. Local television station WTVF found that Cothren and Casada had exchanged sexually explicit text messages about women. Cothren resigned after the texts and racist texts were uncovered. He also admitted to using cocaine inside a legislative building in a previous position. Casada did not seek reelection in 2022. What People Are Saying Ed Yarbrough, attorney for Casada, told the Associated Press: "Obviously, we felt very strongly about our defense, and we're disappointed with the verdict." Prosecutor Blake Ellison, in his closing argument: "No other mail vendor in the state had access like this." What Happens Next Attorneys for Casada and Cothren said they plan to appeal the verdict. Both face up to 20 years in prison at their sentencing in September. They will remain free on bond until then. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
Toronto Star
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Jury convicts ex-Tennessee House speaker and his aide in legislative mail scheme
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal jury on Friday convicted a former Tennessee House speaker and his onetime chief of staff in a scheme to win taxpayer-funded mail business from state lawmakers even after scandals drove the two out of political power. Former Republican Rep. Glen Casada was found guilty of all 19 charges, while his then-chief of staff, Cade Cothren, was found guilty of 17 of 19 charges in a public corruption trial that began in late April.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Jury convicts ex-Tennessee House speaker and his aide in legislative mail scheme
A federal jury on Friday convicted a former Tennessee House speaker and his onetime chief of staff in a scheme to win taxpayer-funded mail business from state lawmakers even after scandals drove the two out of political power. Former Republican Rep. Glen Casada was found guilty of all 19 charges, while his then-chief of staff, Cade Cothren, was found guilty of 17 of 19 charges in a public corruption trial that began in late April. The current House speaker, Cameron Sexton, helped authorities in the case against his predecessor since taking the job in 2019, he has said. Sexton was among the lawmakers and staffers who testified to the grand jury. But Sexton was noticeably absent as a witness after prosecutors said they planned for him to testify. The defense sought to draw attention to a political rivalry between Casada and Sexton. Ultimately, the defense declined to call any witnesses. Neither Casada nor Cothren testified. And defense attempts to discuss in front of jurors whether Sexton wore a wire were shut down by the judge. Casada resigned as House speaker in August 2019 after a no-confidence vote from fellow House Republicans due to swirling scandals, including revelations he exchanged sexually explicit text messages about women years ago with Cothren. Not long before that, Cothren also left his post over those texts and racist texts, coupled with an admission he used cocaine inside a legislative office building when he held a previous job. The criminal charges center on a time after the pair's political freefall, while Casada was still a sitting lawmaker. The charges claim Cothren launched Phoenix Solutions with Smith's and Casada's knowledge and support. The trio claimed the firm was run by a 'Matthew Phoenix,' as Phoenix Solutions and companies controlled by Casada and then-Rep. Robin Smith received roughly $52,000 in 2020 from the state in payments associated with the taxpayer-funded mailer program for lawmakers. A 'Matthew Phoenix' signature ended up on an IRS tax document. Casada and Cothren were indicted in August 2022 after Smith resigned and pleaded guilty to one charge in the Phoenix Solutions scheme. Smith testified for prosecutors for several days. Defense attorneys noted the state got the mailings it paid for. They tried to paint Smith as untrustworthy and driven by hopes for a lenient sentence under her plea deal. Smith testified that the goal was to keep the current House speaker, the legislative administration director and the public unaware of who was behind Phoenix Solutions due to the 'radioactive' scandal that pushed Casada and Cothren out of power. The taxpayer-funded mailings for House Republicans were a way in to expand later to campaign work, she said. Smith told fellow lawmakers that Phoenix Solutions was run by professionals with a prominent political consulting firm who were tired of doing Washington-related work. Matthew Phoenix's associate, Candice, was portrayed by Casada's then-girlfriend, prosecutors said. In a recorded call played for jurors, a fellow Republican, Rep. Ron Gant, feigned interest in becoming a client and spurred Smith to repeat lies about Phoenix Solutions. Smith said she didn't know she was being recorded. In January 2021, FBI agents searched the homes, legislative offices, or both, of Casada, Cothren, Smith and other statehouse figures. Smith left a voicemail with her attorney when they arrived. But by the time the attorney called back to tell her not to talk, she had already lied about the scheme to agents, Smith testified. The trial's fate became shaky when prosecutors failed to redact a portion of the FBI's interview with Casada that was then played for the jury. But the judge ruled against a defense motion for a mistrial, saying there was other evidence that echoed Casada's mistakenly unredacted comments — that Sexton would have rejected the use of Phoenix Solutions if he knew Cothren was involved. Casada remained a state representative until 2022, when he didn't seek reelection.
