Following Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally’s bizarre social media postings on his official government Instagram account, State Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill) called on him to resign immediately, saying the 79-year-old lieutenant governor was a “predator.”
“Not only have Tennessee Republicans now become the laughingstock of the nation, the bottom line is this: Randy McNally is a predator,” Warner began in a statement released on Thursday.
Warner claimed McNally groomed a 17-year-old minor by commenting “relentlessly” on “nude photos” through his official social media account, sending private messages, contacting the victim repeatedly, and even offering him a job in the governor’s office.
Warner additionally accused McNally of pursuing “similar inappropriate relationships both before and during this same time frame,” adding, “Since news broke of this story, Lt. Governor McNally has scrubbed and erased the entirety of his Instagram account to hide the discovery of additional behavior.”
Warner called McNally’s behavior the “actions of a hypocritical man caught red-handed in a scheme to take advantage of at least one underage young man.”
In addition to calling on McNally to resign from his leadership position “immediately,” Warner also called on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to “open a probe into this incident to examine possible variations of Tennessee criminal law related to the sexual exploitation of a minor.”
“As Tennesseans, we should be incredibly disappointed and horrified by these repulsive actions perpetrated by the sitting Lt. Governor of our state. We all deserve better, and Randy McNally deserves to face the consequences of his highly inappropriate and appalling actions,” Warner said.
After broadcast journalist Walter Murphy of WMC Action News in Memphis posted screenshots of McNally’s comments on Twitter, the Lt. Governor’s office released a statement in defense of the social media activity, saying in part, “[McNally] enjoys interacting with constituents and Tennesseans of all religions, backgrounds, and orientations on social media.”
During a sit-down interview with NewsChannel 5, McNally stated it was “not his intent” to “embarrass” his family, friends, or any members of the state legislature with his social media postings.
As previously reported, multiple sources familiar with the Tennessee political landscape told The Tennessee Star that McNally may not be mentally or physically capable of continuing to serve as lieutenant governor in the aftermath of the recent social media postings controversy, with many noting that they have observed a sharp drop in McNally’s mental acuity over the past two years.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Todd Warner” by Todd Warner. Photo “Randy McNally” by Randy McNally.
McNally needs to go!
Until this disgraceful old pervert is removed our state Senate is complicit
Guess he’s trying to qualify for a job in the Biden administration
1Yes, get otta here, McNally