Tennessee House, Senate speakers disagree with Trump pardons

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton is one of two top lawmakers who disagree on the pardon of a former colleague by President Donald Trump. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

The two top lawmakers in Tennessee’s House and Senate disagree with President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon former House Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff on political corruption convictions.

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, who serves as Senate speaker, said Thursday if he had been advising the president, he would have told him not to issue the pardons for Casada and staffer Cade Cothren.

“I just feel it was not correct,” McNally said.

Sexton reportedly told WBIR-TV in Knoxville the pair shouldn’t have been pardoned after being found guilty on multiple charges.

Despite some claims the case was pushed by the Biden administration, Sexton said the FBI started investigating Casada and Cothren during Trump’s first administration and then the Justice Department decided to go to trial this spring after Trump’s second term began. 

“That was their decision based on the evidence,” Sexton told WBIR-TV. “And then you had a Trump judge who presided over the case in Nashville.”

U.S. District Court Judge Eli Richardson, a former FBI agent and assistant U.S. attorney, adjudicated the case and sentenced Casada to 36 months in prison and ordered him to pay a $30,000 fine for his role in a fraud and kickback scheme. Richardson sentenced Cothren to 30 months and ordered him to pay a $25,000 fine.

Trump pardons former Tennessee Speaker Casada, ex-chief of staff

Both escaped punishment after Trump signed pardons late last week.

Despite the potential for presidential pardons, Sexton told WBIR his office will keep trying to get rid of corruption.

“We’re not going to turn a blind eye to it,” Sexton said.

Casada and Cothren were convicted of setting up a secret company called Phoenix Solutions that tapped into the state’s postage and printing program that provides House members $3,000 a year for constituent mailers. Casada and former Rep. Robin Smith, who pleaded guilty and testified against the pair, steered lawmakers’ business to Phoenix Solutions, which was secretly run by Cothren with the front name of “Matthew Phoenix.”

Smith was recently sentenced to eight months for her role in the scheme. She is seeking a presidential pardon according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Casada and Smith concealed Cothren’s identity in the scheme because they felt lawmakers wouldn’t do business with their company if they knew the former chief of staff was involved. He resigned his post amid a racist and sexist texting scandal that also engulfed Casada.

The whole deal involved only about $52,000, but the company also tapped the House Republican Party for work exceeding $100,000.