Tag: NewsChannel 5

NewsChannel 5’s Phil Williams Refuses to Explain His Failure to Get Justin Jones on the Record about Allegations He Covered Up Report of 2020 Sexual Assault, Tries to Distract with False Claims About Tennessee Star Reporter

Kaitlin Housler
Phil Williams

Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, addressed personal attacks from NewsChannel 5’s chief investigative reporter Phil Williams over the weekend, saying such attacks are “absolute silliness” and a common tactic used by Williams when pressed on his “journalistic failings.”

On Sunday, Pappert reported on an interview between Williams and Dan Mandis, host of Nashville’s Morning News with Dan Mandis on SuperTalk 99.7 WTN, where Williams said that he once asked Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) to respond to claims made by his former close colleague Jeneisha Harris on June 18, 2020 that the state lawmaker had covered up the sexual assault of two protesters by a homeless man.

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Phil Williams Says He Asked Justin Jones to Respond to Allegations He Covered Up Knowledge of Sexual Assaults, But ‘He Chose Not to Comment’

Tom Pappert
Dan Mandis and Phil Williams, WTN

Phil Williams of NewsChannel 5 failed to report the response he received from Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) to the claim the lawmaker covered up the sexual assault of two protesters by a homeless man in 2020.

Williams revealed in a Friday interview with SuperTalk 99.7 WTN that Jones declined to comment on the claim in 2020. Williams additionally confirmed that other activists planned to confront the homeless man for his alleged sex crimes instead of involving police.

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NewsChannel 5’s Phil Williams Claims Elite Progressives’ Meddling in Tennessee Unworthy of Reporting, Fails to Mention Bloomberg Funding in Nashville and Memphis

Tom Pappert
Newscaster Phil Williams

Phil Williams, the NewsChannel 5 reporter known for his criticism of the effort by Governor Bill Lee to expand school choice in Tennessee, claimed on Friday that meddling by rich progressives in state politics is unworthy of his reporting because Republicans have a majority in the General Assembly.

Williams failed to acknowledge the recent funding of Nashville and Memphis by Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities, a climate change initiative backed by former New York mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg.

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Phil Williams and NewsChannel 5 Refuse to Answer Questions About Legality of Recorded Phone Call Broadcast in Anti-School Choice Report

Matthew Giffin
NewsChannel5 news Director Sandy Boonstra and reporter Phil Williams

NewsChannel 5 and investigative journalist Phil Williams have so far refused to answer questions about the suspicious origin of a phone call recording Williams obtained and broadcast in a Monday report attacking a school choice advocacy group.

The recording captured a phone conversation between Executive Director Tori Venable of Americans for Prosperity-Tennessee and State Representative Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill), who currently opposes Governor Bill Lee’s pending school choice legislation.

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NewsChannel 5 Legal Analyst Nick Leonardo Hit with Order of Protection in Davidson County

Tom Pappert

Nick Leonardo, who is a legal analyst for NewsChannel 5, is the subject of an order of protection filed with Davidson County General Sessions Court, a court official confirmed to The Tennessee Star on Friday.

The chief clerk for the General Sessions Court told The Star that the release of the order of protection filed against Leonardo was pending “clearance from Metro Legal,” as there is “a juvenile involved in this case,” which he stated meant the clerk’s office had “to make sure that this is not going to be placed under seal.”

The Chief Clerk for the General Sessions Clerk told The Star that release of the order of protection filed against Leonardo was pending “clearance from Metro Legal,” as there is “a juvenile involved in this case,” which he stated meant the clerk’s office had “to make sure that this is not going to be placed under seal.”

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NewsChannel 5: ‘Nashville Mayor Admits Affair with Police Bodyguard’

Tennessee Star Staff

Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 broke the story late Wednesday afternoon that Nashville Mayor Megan Barry has admitted to an extramarital affair with the former head of her security detail. “[I]n an exclusive interview with NewsChannel 5 Investigates, Barry insisted that she has not misused taxpayer funds as part of the relationship with Metro Police Sergeant Rob Forrest, NewsChannel 5’s Phill Williams reported in a broadcast that aired at 4:49 pm on Wednesday: Forrest unexpectedly retired Tuesday after 31 years with the Metro Nashville Police Department. “I’m very embarrassed, and I’m deeply ashamed, and I’m very sorry,” Barry said. “The affair was between two middle-aged consenting adults, and it was a mistake to do this. And I am deeply sorry.” She added, “I know God forgives, but the people of Nashville don’t have to — and I also want to ask for their forgiveness.” The 54-year-old mayor said the relationship with the 58-year-old sergeant began shortly after her election in September 2015.   Questions have been raised about how much Forrest was paid for overtime while guarding the mayor, and whether or not he worked all those overtime hours. A press conference is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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Metro Nashville’s Own Lawyer Says Proposed Sanctuary City Ordinance ‘Not Enforceable’

Tennessee Star Staff

Metro Nashville’s “Director of Law Jon Cooper has found that Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall would not be bound by the council’s ordinance prohibiting him from cooperating with federal authorities on immigration,” Nick Beres reported early Tuesday morning at NewsChannel 5: An opinion from Metro’s legal director has found that the proposed immigration ordinance in Nashville is not enforceable. . . Metro’s Director of Law Jon Cooper has found that Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall would not be bound by the council’s ordinance prohibiting him from cooperating with federal authorities on immigration. Not only that, Cooper found that the ordinance would not be enforceable because it violates the Metro Charter. “Sheriff Hall has said all along he would not honor the ordinance because it’s a public safety issue,” NewsChannel 5 reported:   “To ask me to ignore everything with immigration is to let that person go who is a serious criminal local violator or federal immigration violator,” Hall said. Hall also said he didn’t believe the council had the authority to tell him how to do his job, and the city attorney agreed. This legal opinion from the city’s own attorney could kill or possibly delay the final vote on…

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