Michael Patrick Leahy and Crom Carmichael Call for an Investigation into Capitol Riot by DA Glenn Funk

Live from Music Row Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy welcomed original all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio to examine the Tennessee Capitol riot that occurred Thursday morning.

Leahy: Right now in studio, the original all-star panelist, Crom Carmichael. Crom, this riot at the Tennessee State Capitol yesterday, largely of Metro Nashville Public Schools high school students, was planned and coordinated with three left-wing Democrat state legislators.

Carmichael: Yes.

Leahy: To me, this is an indication of just how awful our political discourse has gotten—your thoughts.

Carmichael: I think it’s, I think it’s an indication of just how intolerant one particular political party is.

Leahy: That’s a much better way of putting it.

Carmichael: I had a friend of mine one time make a funny statement and then we laughed about it because we were talking about these different things. And he said I cannot tolerate intolerance. (Leahy laughs)

And I said how do you live with yourself? And then you start thinking about it, and he laughed. But this is where we are now, is that if the left doesn’t get their way, they think they have the right and they think it is right to do what they did. And that needs to be nipped in the bud.

Leahy: Let’s talk about those consequences for two levels here. First three state legislators. Freshman state legislator Justin Jones. He’s the one who got arrested when he disrupted a Marsha Blackburn event back in 2018—an elected freshman.

And Justin Pearson who won a special election from Memphis, a Democrat from Memphis, was the second one. He was sworn in on February 9th. He’s only been there for about a month and a half. And then Gloria Johnson from Knoxville. Those three basically broke virtually every rule of the Tennessee House of Representatives and put the lives of the legislature in danger.

Carmichael: And they put the lives of the legislature in danger.

Leahy: They put the lives of the legislature in danger. And what they did is they had a, they smuggled in a bullhorn. And this was all planned with a bunch of lefty groups.  Tennessee Equity and some other different groups. Equity Alliance.

And they claimed that the protestors were Metro Nashville Public School parents and their kids. If you look at the images, these were all high school kids who, by the way, should have been in school yesterday. So there’s some planning going on here with this.

Carmichael: Sure. And possible cooperation with various folks at MNPS. I don’t know if there was, but that would be a possibility. So they go in, they take the bullhorn they jump up, they take over the well of the House, and they start inciting a riot, yelling and screaming and chanting.

This was not very popular with anybody in the House of Representatives, nor was it with even the Democratic leadership. They convened, and the state troopers kept the rioting kids out of going into the House chambers. And I

Carmichael: Thank goodness the state troopers were in large enough numbers to stop it.

Leahy: To stop that. Because and some of the members of the house, like who left the one guy, one guy in his 60s left the chamber, went to the restroom, and came back. The kids were spitting on him, cursing at him. He was in danger. He was absolutely in danger from this crowd. Now, consequences for these three state legislatures, Cameron Sexton, yesterday in the interview said, look, we’re gonna look at all options including expulsion.

You need a two-thirds vote to expel. They broke so many rules of the House that I think the Tennessee General Assembly is likely to convene and expel on a party-line vote and maybe get some Democrats because of the 74/24.

Carmichael: And these three people should be expelled. What they did was truly a threat to our democratic process. They were in the process of representing us in the legislature. And they riot. They have a bullhorn and try to incite. If they are not expelled, then there is no penalty for doing that, and something similar to that will happen again.

Leahy: Absolutely. Now, the second element, I believe they will be expelled. That’s point number one. Now, as for the kids, mostly that rioted, there was some disruption and some threats and some physical violence there. District Attorney Glenn Funk should prosecute anybody that posed a threat and engaged in violence there.

Carmichael: Yes, he should.

Leahy: It’s on him.

Carmichael: And if there were adults participating and encouraging it…

Leahy: So an investigation into that should take place. It’s the jurisdiction of the Davidson County DA Glen Funk. It’s not the attorney general. Skrmetti does not have jurisdiction here.

Carmichael: Even though it’s the statement Capital and the state legislature. Yes, it is the local authorities that have jurisdiction.

Leahy: Jurisdiction is with Glenn Funk, and we’re gonna be calling him to see when he is going to begin the investigation and when he is gonna prosecute those people responsible for the violence at this riot.

Carmichael: Because this is the broken glass theory. If this is allowed to stand without appropriate punishment at all levels, then it will happen again, but it’ll be worse next time.

Leahy: Exactly.

Listen to today’s show highlights, including this interview:

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Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 a.m. to The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on Talk Radio 98.3 FM WLAC 1510. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Glenn Funk” by Glenn Funk. Background Photo “Tennessee Capitol Protesters” by Moms Demand Action – TN.