Stockard on the Stump: Former Tennessee House Speaker faces uphill sentencing hearing

Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada, photographed during his May trial on federal corruption charges, faces sentencing on Sept. 23. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

The federal judge handling former House Speaker Glen Casada’s political corruption case hinted this week that the Franklin Republican could serve more time than his ex-staffer who was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

U.S. District Court Judge Eli Richardson, who said a lot of things several times during the sentencing of Cade Cothren, told the courtroom that Casada’s sentencing range will be two levels higher because he was a public official. Cothren, in contrast, had stepped down in 2019 from his chief of staff post amid a racist and sexist texting scandal, even if he did influence a public official.

Richardson also said Cothren got about 50% less than he could have based on sentencing guidelines, based in part on letters from supporters.

After being bounced from his $200,000 job, Cothren needed money, and he, Casada and former Rep. Robin Smith hatched a plan to direct business to a shell company Cothren formed, New Mexico-based Phoenix Solutions, that did constituent mailers for lawmakers (Smith called it “low-hanging fruit” in her testimony), before moving on to campaigns and Republican Caucus work. 

Richardson pointed out “it takes two to tango in a case like this,” meaning one couldn’t have done it without the other.

Although the judge said it wasn’t the worst case of honest services fraud he’d ever seen, Richardson called Cothren’s actions “pretty crummy,” “dishonest” and “below” the position of House Speaker chief of staff. He was also convicted of conspiracy and bribery.

The judge gave Cothren some credit for receiving support letters from former Rep. Kent Calfee, Rep. Paul Sherrell and Rep. Todd Warner. 

But even their letters of support came with strings attached. Calfee’s former administrative assistant, Nadine Korby, is the mother of Cothren’s girlfriend. Warner has used another company connected to Cothren, Dixieland Strategies, for campaign work, and a political action committee Cothren formed through an ex-girlfriend, the Faith, Family, Freedom Fund, worked against Warner’s first opponent, incumbent Rep. Rick Tillis. (None of the latter was discussed in court.)

Calfee’s wife, Marilyn, testified in support of Cothren, along with the defendant’s first cousin, Emily Isom.

But Richardson acknowledged that Cothren backers appeared to be wearing “rose-colored glasses” as they spoke glowingly of him.

And even though he acknowledged that Cothren might not have thought he was committing a crime, Richardson still managed to say that Tennesseans could ask the question: “Is this someone’s idea of a joke?”

The judge also continued to bring up the fact that Cothren submitted a “bogus” W-9 form with the signature of “Matthew Phoenix” when the state asked all vendors to turn in federal tax forms.

It’s one of those little points that could stick with a court of appeals when Cothren’s team takes this to another level. The defense requested Cothren be allowed to postpone his prison sentence until the appeal is done. The judge took it under advisement.

But before that, Richardson said the case “has the overall sense that none of this had to happen.” (And why would it, if everything was above board?) The judge said Cothren didn’t have to lie. Nor did he have to misrepresent himself as “Matthew Phoenix” on the W-9.

Richardson also said reasonable people in Tennessee could say “WTH,” meaning, “What the heck.” 

Sorry judge. We understand you can’t say in court what most people have been thinking for six years since Cothren and Casada left their high-ranking posts and then FBI agents raided them. 

No, most people would substitute a different expletive at the end. But you can always recast the phrasing when Casada comes to court this Tuesday.

Backing Hillsdale?

Two gubernatorial candidates, U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts, are scheduled to participate in a Tennessee Alliance town hall Oct. 18 in Lebanon, where a Hillsdale Classical Education supporter is to speak. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn is not listed to appear.

Also on the agenda are election integrity, the increase of political Islam in America, sovereignty from a representative of the John Birch Society, the “trouble” that could be coming from schools along with the need to set up Hillsdale College’s Classical Education in Tennessee schools.

Gov. Bill Lee got into a heap of trouble a few years ago when he unveiled plans to put 50 Hillsdale-affiliated schools into the state. Public sentiment against the Michigan-based Christian college grew when the college’s president, Larry Arnn, was secretly recorded at a Franklin event saying teachers are educated in the “dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country.”

Since then, though, the state’s charter commission has approved applications for Classical Education schools in Jackson and Rutherford County. 

Rose’s campaign chairman, Chris Devaney, confirmed the congressman is slated to participate in the gubernatorial forum but declined to say whether he supports Hillsdale-related schools or the other items to be discussed. 

“He is looking forward to answering questions and hearing from this group of freedom loving Tennesseans,” Devaney said.

Fritts, a graduate of conservative Christian Liberty University, said Thursday the forum is on his schedule as well.

He wasn’t clear on Lee’s plans, which changed during public outcry, but he called the items Hillsdale puts out for historical context “prime stuff.”

“I think Hillsdale College does a good job with lots of things,” Fritts said. “They pursue beauty and truth in a classical education.” 

House chairman knocks charter commission override authority

Questions have been raised about Hillsdale’s curriculum for American Classical Education charter schools and whether it downplays the importance of Black Americans’ historical contributions and Martin Luther King’s contention that the force of law should be used to back the civil rights movement.

Hillsdale-affiliated schools use a 1776 curriculum prompted by President Donald Trump to focus on achievements by the nation’s founders and offset a 1619 curriculum that gave the treatment of Black Americans a more central role in American history.

Pizza where?

House Speaker Cameron Sexton recently traveled to Rome where he went to Vatican City and met Pope Leo and gave him a Tennessee Vols football jersey with the number 14, a reference to Leo being the 14th papal Leo.

The trip, which was paid for by the Council of State Governments, included stops to see what he called “amazing history,” the Coliseum, Spanish Steps and the Italian Parliament (only the House side, of course).

https://twitter.com/CSexton25/status/1965068215635333371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” target=”_blank

Sexton said the group also enjoyed some excellent Italian food “off the beaten path” in Florence, but he didn’t exactly give the pizza rave reviews.

Instead, he said he prefers pizza at a Tennessee restaurant that is “very Italianesque.”

“I get it in Crossville, of all places, if you can imagine that,” he said, possibly referring to accusations that he lives in Nashville instead of the town on the Cumberland Plateau.

Regardless, it seems a trip halfway around the world would yield an authentic slice. But we can take solace that a two-hour drive instead of an 11-hour flight will lead us to the world’s best pizza.

No doubt, some Nashville restaurateurs will appeal that ruling.