Trump pardons former Tennessee House speaker convicted of federal public corruption charges
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump pardoned former Tennessee House speaker and one-time aide public corruption accusations After the White House said the Biden administration Justice Department had “significantly overprosecuted” both minor issues.
Former Republican State Representative Glen Casada He was sentenced to three years in prison in September, and former chief of staff Cade Cothren was also convicted and sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. The case focused on the actions of both men after they were removed from their leadership roles and indicted. executing a plan to win over the taxpayer-funded mail business from lawmakers.
These moves continued the pattern of Republican Trump using his second term. grant unexpected pardons About political allies, public figures and others convicted of defrauding the public.
Many of the pardons he granted targeted criminal cases that were once touted as fair by the Justice Department. They also come amid ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to erode public integrity guardrails. The firing of the ministry’s amnesty lawyer And the near disintegration of a prosecution unit It was established to hold public officials accountable for abusing the public trust.
According to prosecutors, Cothren founded a company called Phoenix Solutions with the knowledge and support of Casada and then-Rep. Robin Smith. The three claimed that the company was run “Mathew Phoenix” It was later determined to be imaginary. Companies controlled by Casada and Smith received nearly $52,000 from taxpayers in 2020 from a mailing program aimed at lawmakers.
An IRS tax document was signed “Matthew Phoenix.” Prosecutors said this fictitious person’s alleged partner was played by Casada’s then-girlfriend.
They all followed Casada resigned He was elected speaker in 2019 after a vote of no confidence from his fellow Republicans amid swirling scandals, including revelations that he had exchanged sexually explicit text messages about women with Cothren years ago.
Cothren also He left his writing on these texts and racist texts, combined with his admission that he used cocaine during a previous job in the legislative office building.
A White House official said Thursday night that Trump approved the pardons for Casada and Cothren because the Justice Department under Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, “subject to significant overprosecution of these individuals for a minor issue.”
The official spoke on background to discuss a pardon that has not yet been made public, but said the case against Casada and Cothren involved voter mailers who were billed at competitive rates and that the case was filed even though prosecutors had not received a complaint from lawmakers.
The scheme also resulted in a loss of less than $5,000 in net profit, the official said, noting that the case involved armed raids, criminal marches and the potential for long prison sentences; these are generally better suited for federal cases involving fraud worth millions of dollars.
Trump’s moves for Casada and Cothren come after he pardoned the former Democratic Illinois Governor. Rod Blagojevich and Republican former Governor of Connecticut. John RowlandHis promising political career was dashed by a corruption scandal and two federal prison sentences.
Trump also pardoned former U.S. Representative. Michael Grimma New York Republican resigned from Congress following tax evasion conviction and made headlines for threatening to throw a reporter off a Capitol balcony over a question he didn’t like. President also pardoned reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley who was it convicted of defrauding banks and tax evasion.
