Nashville, Tennessee - May 20, 2019. Tennessee Firearms Association is calling for the immediate resignation of Glen Casada but, realizing he may refuse to resign, TFA is also calling on the Governor and both houses of the General Assembly to immediately convene a special session to remove Glen Casada as House Speaker. TFA requests this action because the Republican Caucus of the Tennessee House of Representatives
voted 45-24
(some reports are 47-22), essentially a 2 to 1 margin, that they no
longer had confidence in Glen Casada to continue to serve as House
Speaker. There are no reports at this time indicating whether the House
GOP caucus took up the potential for expelling Glan Casada from the
House which is a separate procedure.
John Harris, Tennessee
Firearms Association Executive Director, stated “The TFA lost all
confidence, what little it might have had, in Glen Casada as House
Speaker when proof became public about numerous matters which clearly
showed that Glen Casada not only made numerous serious mistakes of
judgment but when he also engaged in intentional actions to try to cover
up or conceal his involvement and then, according to House Ethics
Committee member Mike Carter, Glen Casada attempted to
predetermine and rig what should have been an independent House Ethics Committee investigation.”
The
massive blow to Glen Casada from a 2-1 “no confidence” vote should
cause him to realize that he has lost the respect not only of many
Tennesseans who were motivated to call for his resignation but also by a
super majority of his own House caucus. Harris continued, “Casada
should have the integrity to resign but indicators at this time are that
he will not. Such refusal to accept reality rings of narcissism on his
part and should cause Governor Lee and the other members of the General
Assembly to immediately call a special session to have a removal vote.”
While some might suggest that the legislature is out of session and so
there is no rush, the Legislature conducts a lot of business during
this period including summer study hearings, public speaking by the
Speaker at many events, and foreseeable efforts by Glen Casada to raise
money for his private political action committee which is being
investigated by a
special prosecutor.
According to House Rules, which incorporate
Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure,
the removal of the “presiding officer” of either House only calls for a
majority vote of that body. This is contrasted with an “expulsion
vote” to remove an individual as a member of the House which requires a
two-thirds vote.
Harris noted “A broad spectrum of House
members came out in advance of today’s meeting to encourage Glen Casada
to resign without the need for this meeting, but he refused. If a vote
is held in session, it is likely that more than 50 House members would
now formally vote to remove Glen Casada as Speaker because their votes
on this issue should be on the public record.”
Reports indicate that the House “no confidence” vote was a secret
ballot which still was 2-1 against Glen Casada. Harris concluded
“Tennesseans are entitled to and should be told who the 25 House member
were who voted to maintain confidence in Glen Casada today were. We can
anticipate that Susan Lynn, Wilson County, was one of them based on her
opinion editorial published last week in the Tennessean but the others
should be identified because their positions on retaining Glen Casada as
the third most powerful office in the state is an issue that voters
should weigh carefully in the 2020 election cycle.”
About the
Tennessee Firearms Association. The TFA is a nonprofit Tennessee corporation that is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(4) issue advocacy group. TFA's focus is on issues that relate the rights and interests of Tennesseans under the 2nd Amendment as well as related interests in hunting, sport shooting, collecting and state sovereignty. TFA has been repeatedly
recognized by the Tennessee Legislature for its dedication to protecting the rights and interests of Tennesseans.