Day: May 15, 2019

U.S. Rep. Green Introduces Bill to Allow States to Pilot Programs in Which Medicaid Recipients Use Swipe Card to Make Medical Purchases

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Rep. Dr. Rep. Mark Green (R-TN-07) on Tuesday introduced a bill to give Medicaid recipients more choice and power in their healthcare decisions. The Medicaid Improvement and State Flexibility Act would authorize states to begin pilot programs giving Medicaid recipients a “swipe card” with dollars on it designated for medical purchases, Green said in a press release. What is not spent from the card is returned to the holder at year’s end in the form of an Earned Income Tax Credit. Coupled with a catastrophic insurance plan, this ensures Medicaid recipients a safety net while at the same time introducing competition into the healthcare market that will improve the quality of care and drive down costs, the congressman said. “The Republican solution to our country’s healthcare crisis is more choice and better care,” Green said. “We need to move forward and utilize the power of markets to fix our broken system and help those in need. I hope Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle recognize the need for patient choice and join this effort.” Green introduced his bill as House Democrats are promoting legislation to protect parts of the Affordable Care Act and lower prescription drug…

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Tom Tancredo Commentary: Never Let a Manufactured Constitutional Crisis Go to Waste

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by Tom Tancredo   The Democrats are right that our country is facing a “constitutional crisis,” but only because they manufactured it themselves. And Democrats never let a crisis go to waste. Ever since the release of the redacted Mueller report that exonerated President Trump, the Democrats have been demanding that Attorney General William Barr release the full, unredacted document to Congress, along with all “underlying materials.” Barr refused to give in, arguing that federal laws and regulations preclude releasing certain information, enraging Nadler and the other Democrats on the committee, who voted to hold him in contempt of Congress. “We’ve talked for a long time about approaching a constitutional crisis,” Nadler remarked. “We are now in it.” Nancy Pelosi echoed Nadler’s remarks, but while she adamantly insisted that the country is in the midst of a constitutional crisis, she also made it clear that she’s in no rush to do anything about it, preferring to wait until she’s confident that her Democrats will be able to take down Barr. Let’s be perfectly clear, though — Barr has done absolutely nothing wrong, and certainly nothing to precipitate a “constitutional crisis.” The only constitutional crisis we’re facing is the one that the Democrats created by demanding that…

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House Speaker Glen Casada Provides a Statement to the Republican Caucus Regarding Media Reports and Allegations

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  Nearly two weeks after the Tennessee State Capitol was roiled with reports of misconduct by House Speaker Glen Casada and his then-Chief of Staff Cade Cothren, Casada’s office has issued his most detailed response to the allegations to date. The Statement, first made available to Members of the House Republican Caucus, attempts to distinguish between claims that Casada says are true and those that are false. Cothren himself answered many of the same allegations earlier this week in an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star.  The Star has also detailed the misreporting of various “facts” by certain media outlets over the past week. In the statement, Casada points out: “In recent days, we have seen numerous false and misleading allegations and reports in the media and online related to actions taken by Speaker Glen Casada and this office. We think the public deserves to know the facts. As part of our action plan to bring greater clarity and transparency to the coverage of these issues, we have prepared this summary of some of the most outrageous and unsubstantiated charges and allegations.” Casada acknowledges that “there were a small number of inappropriate text threads privately shared between then Tennessee House…

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Commentary: The Win-Win Scenario of Further ‘Retaliation’ by China

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by Robert Romano   On May 10, the South China Morning Post published a report, “Will China use its US$1.2 trillion of US debt as firepower to fight the trade war?” speculating that China might have potential leverage against the U.S. after President Donald Trump levied 25 percent tariffs on a total of now $250 billion of Chinese goods. But that’s all it is: speculation. Nothing more. China is in no danger of dumping its treasuries holdings, and even if it were, it would gain no trade advantage from doing so. Why, you ask? Because they’re a paper dragon. For starters, if you look at the $16.2 trillion public treasuries market (excluding the $5.8 trillion the U.S. government holds), China has about $1.13 trillion of that, or about 7 percent of the total. The South China Morning Post’s Karen Yeung  warns, “China could strike back by dumping its vast holdings of US government debt. Flooding the market with Treasuries would push down U.S. bond prices and cause the yields to spike. That would make it more costly for US companies and consumers to borrow, in turn depressing America’s economic growth.” So, if Beijing were to start dumping treasuries, flooding the open market, interest rates…

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Report: Nielsen Stopped Plan for Mass Migrant Family Arrests Shortly Before She Was Ousted

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by Jason Hopkins   Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and ICE acting director Ron Vitiello were both fired shortly after challenging a major White House plan to arrest thousands of illegal migrants across the U.S. Weeks before they were fired by President Donald Trump in April, Nielsen and Vitiello put a stop to a secret White House proposal to apprehend thousands of parents and children in an operation to crack down on illegal immigration, according to seven former and current Department of Homeland Security officials who spoke with The Washington Post. The plan — which had the backing of White House senior adviser Stephen Miller and then-ICE deputy director Matthew Albence — involved arresting thousands of migrant family members across 10 major U.S. cities as a public display of force, and help deter the rising influx of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border. Targeted cities included Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and other top destination spots for Central American immigrants. The initial target by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations included 2,500 adults and children, but the proposal, which reportedly is still under consideration by the Trump administration, was treated as a stepping stone toward apprehending as many as 10,000 illegal migrants.…

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Urged to Sign Turnpike Plan by Business While Environmentalists Virulently Oppose

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by John Haughey   A bill approving a decade-long, multi-billion dollar plan to extend three toll roads into rural “corridors” was formally sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis Monday as opponents intensified demands he veto the measure and launched a week of scheduled protests. DeSantis has 10 working days to veto Senate Bill 7068, the proposed Multi-Use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance [M-CORES] program. Even if he does not sign it, the bill becomes law on May 28. SB 7068 – Senate President Bill Galvano’s session priority – earmarks $45 million to establish regional task forces to study M-CORES, the state’s most significant highway-building project since the 1950s, approved by the Senate, 37-1, and by the House, 76-36. M-CORES would build the 150-mile Heartland Parkway from Lakeland to Naples, push the Florida Turnpike 40 miles west to link I-75 with the Suncoast Parkway, and extend the Suncoast 150 miles north to Georgia. Construction would begin in 2022 and end in 2030. M-CORES would be funded through license plate tag revenues – $1.1 billion over a decade – shifted from the state’s general fund into the State Transportation Trust Fund [STTF]. But SB 7068 appropriates $45 million for Fiscal Year 2020, M-CORES’s…

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Justice Neil Gorsuch Will Replace Joe Biden as Honorary Chair of the National Constitution Center

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  Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is taking on a new role as the honorary chairman of a nonpartisan group devoted to education about the Constitution, replacing former Vice President Joe Biden. The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia said Tuesday that Gorsuch, named to the high court by President Donald Trump, will serve as a spokesman for civics education and civility in politics. The 51-year-old Gorsuch is the first sitting Supreme Court Justice to be the center’s chairman. Vice President Biden stepped down when he launched his campaign for the presidency in April. Justice Gorsuch said he’s concerned by polls that show most Americans would flunk a citizenship test and many say incivility keeps them away from public affairs. “For a government of and by the people to work, everyone must have some idea how our Constitution works and we must be able to talk to each other about important ideas in an atmosphere of mutual respect,” Gorsuch said in a comment provided by the Supreme Court. Jeffrey Rosen, the National Constitution Center’s president and CEO, said the organization was attracted by Gorsuch’s commitment to civics and civility. “We’re genuinely excited about this partnership because Justice Gorsuch is so passionate…

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Williamson County Cultural Competency Committee Hears Other Side of ‘White Privilege’ Argument

Chris Butler

  FRANKLIN, Tennessee — Members of the Williamson County Cultural Competency Committee gathered Tuesday, this time with a larger and more diverse crowd. “Diverse” not in terms of race or gender, but in terms of right-of-center people who disapprove of the school system’s “white privilege” training. These people had a chance to speak up, perhaps for the first time. As reported, school system officials closed off previous meetings to the media, and they also did not publicize the meetings — suggesting they were a bit one-sided in favor of the “white privilege” training. Outgoing Superintendent Mike Looney appeared briefly to encourage people to continue the work, especially after he leaves to take a position in Georgia. “There is no radical agenda at work here,” Looney told a crowd of about 75 people. “It’s just about making sure everyone is treated with dignity and respect.” After Looney left, the crowd broke up into about three different groups. Some of the attendees voiced their displeasure with the “white privilege” portion of the training. In one group, Franklin resident Brandi McCutchan said the “white privilege” training offended her. “Because I’m white I’m (supposedly) privileged,” McCutchan said. “The training that the district released was…

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Trey Gowdy Offers Tip to Republicans: ‘Look for Emails Between Brennan and Comey’

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by Chuck Ross   Former South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy offered up a tip Monday night for congressional investigators probing the Obama administration’s handling of the Trump-Russia investigation. “So whoever’s investigating this, tell them to look for emails between Brennan and Comey in December 2016,” Gowdy said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, referring to former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey. In the interview, Gowdy did not say whether he has knowledge of what is in any Brennan-Gowdy emails. But Gowdy also suggested that the FBI deemed Christopher Steele, the author of the infamous anti-Trump dossier, as a less-than-credible source. Steele, a former British spy, served as a confidential human source for the FBI. He provided the FBI with parts of his dossier, which the FBI then used to obtain surveillance warrants against Carter Page. “I think you’ll be surprised at whether or not they viewed Steele as being credible,” said Gowdy, who served on the House Intelligence Committee and is now a Fox News contributor. Republicans have sought a slew of internal FBI documents related to Steele and the dossier. They’ve called on President Trump to declassify portions of the fourth and final surveillance warrant…

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One America News Network’s Neil McCabe Joins The Tennessee Star Report to Talk About the Consequences of the Mueller Report

Julie Carr

  On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy talked to One America News Network’s Neil McCabe about how the tide is about to turn on the Democrats as the Mueller Report conveniently leaves out incriminating information begging for investigations. Towards the middle of the show, McCabe advised that Attorney General William Barr is appointing a US attorney to look into the origins of the FBI probe. Gill: A guy that keeps his eyes on the stories here in and nationally is Neil McCabe with One America News Network. You can find it I know on DirectTV because I’ve got it on mine. If you don’t have it on yours, demand that they add it to your cable network. Or just call Neil and he’ll tell you whatever story it is. We’ll give you his cell number. Is that ok Neil? We’ll just give people your cell number and they just call you directly and get the news. McCabe: Yeah, whatever. (Gill chuckles) Call just to say whatever’s on their mind or talk about whatever’s gong on. Gill: Then…

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Thousands of Alleged Asylum-Seekers Booted Out of US Under Trump’s ‘Remain In Mexico’ Policy

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by Jason Hopkins   Thousands of Central American migrants have been sent back to Mexico after lodging an asylum claim, a result of President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” directive. Over 5,000 asylum seekers from Central America’s Northern Triangle region — El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala — have been sent back to Mexico as they wait for their claims to go through the U.S. immigration court system, according to a Mexican government official who spoke to CBS. The number, if accurate, would indicate a sharp rise of the 3,700 asylum seekers the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed were booted earlier in May. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Caller News Foundation. “It has many implications,” the Mexican official stated to CBS, speaking about “Remain in Mexico,” which is also known referred to as the “Migrant Protection Protocols” program. “However, with the new immigration policy, all the tools we have to apply to safeguard the physical and moral integrity of foreigners must be applied, regardless of condition or nationality.” The program, which began in late 2018, prohibits non-Mexican immigrants from immediately entering the U.S. interior after claiming asylum at the southern border. Instead, the directive requires them to wait in…

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Montana Governor Steve Bullock Announces 2020 Presidential Run

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by Evie Fordham   Montana’s Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock announced Tuesday he is seeking the Democratic nomination for president in 2020 and will kick off his campaign later in the day at his former high school in Helena, Montana. “I’m running for President and with your help, we will take our democracy back,” Bullock said in a video announcing his candidacy. To give everyone a fair shot, we must do more than defeat Donald Trump. We have to defeat the corrupt system that keeps people like him in power, and we need a fighter who's done it before. That's why I'm running for President. Join our team: https://t.co/TZXr9AcDr7 pic.twitter.com/XZ0LPUbtBx — Steve Bullock (@GovernorBullock) May 14, 2019 Bullock, 53, joins a tightly packed Democratic field. To set himself apart, he touted his work to keep “dark money” out of Montana’s politics in the launch video. “That’s why we need to defeat [President] Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people’s voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone,” Bullock said in the video. Bullock is also emphasizing his bipartisan record — the governor earned a second…

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Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen Is Happy Witnesses No Longer Must Say ‘So Help Me God’ During Oath

Chris Butler

  People who testify before the U.S. House of Representatives no longer must say “so help me God” under oath, and this reportedly delights Tennessee Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen of Memphis. As this week’s New York Times reported, House Democrats altered the oath after they assumed a majority over Republicans in January. Cohen, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, reportedly said the following about people who want “so help me God” to come back: “I think God belongs in religious institutions: in temple, in church, in cathedral, in mosque — but not in Congress,” the paper quoted Cohen as saying. “And God doesn’t want to be used.” In a rebuttal, Chattanooga Times Free Press columnist Clint Cooper told his readers the Founding Fathers used God in many of the country’s founding documents. “Cohen, at that point, either was misreading history or was sorry he was called out for not having witnesses say ‘so help me God,’ like a child spotted by the teacher while shooting spitballs in class,” Cooper wrote. According to Cooper, Cohen refused a Republican congressman’s request to include “so help me God” at a Feb 28 committee hearing.…

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New Shelby County Democratic Party Chairman Harris Fights to Save His Position Amid Multiple Controversies

Jason M. Reynolds

  Michael Harris, who won election as the new Shelby County Democratic Party chairman in April, is already facing discontent in the ranks, with the politician calling a special meeting to save his position. The Daily Memphian on Monday said Harris is the second chairman of the party, which recently re-formed. Many long-standing executive committee members left, and new people, including Harris, entered the party. During a meeting last week, the Shelby County Democratic Party’s executive committee could have chosen to either take no action on Harris or could have scheduled a meeting to specifically consider the issue, the Daily Memphian said. However, Harris agreed to call the meeting himself within 20 days to resolve the matter. The meeting’s date has not been reported. State Rep. Lamar London (D-TN-91) and State Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-TN-29) once thought of running for Harris’ position but backed out, letting him run unopposed, the Daily Memphian said. Now, London is calling for unity ahead of the 2020 elections. Harris’ opponents are not backing down. They say that he filed for bankruptcy eight times, leading to the judge to rule he could not file again for five years, Local Memphis said. The Tennessee Star in…

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Attorney General Barr Appoints John Durham to Look at Origins of Russia Probe

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  Attorney General William Barr has appointed long time U.S. attorney John Durham to examine the origins of the Russia investigation and determine if intelligence collection involving the Trump campaign was “lawful and appropriate,” a person familiar with the issue told The Associated Press on Monday. Durham’s appointment comes about a month after Barr told members of Congress he believed “spying did occur” on the Trump campaign in 2016. He later said he didn’t mean anything pejorative and was gathering a team to look into the origins of the special counsel’s investigation. Barr provided no details about what “spying” may have taken place but appeared to be alluding to a surveillance warrant the FBI obtained on a former Trump associate, Carter Page, and the FBI’s use of an informant while the bureau was investigating former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos. Trump and his supporters have seized on both to accuse the Justice Department and the FBI of unlawfully spying on his campaign. The inquiry, which will focus on whether the government’s methods to collect intelligence relating to the Trump campaign were lawful and appropriate, is separate from an investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general. The agency’s watchdog…

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Funding, Respect Are Crucial for Metro Nashville Police Department, Swain Says for Peace Officers Memorial Day

Jason M. Reynolds

  Mayoral candidate Dr. Carol Swain spoke out on her plans to support the Metro Nashville Police Department in light of today being Peace Officers Memorial Day. “This week is National Police Week,” Swain said. “I would like to thank the brave officers who sacrifice their time and put their lives on the line for us each and every day. And although this is a week of recognizing the courageous men and women who serve our city, their efforts and bravery should be celebrated each and every day of the year.” “Over the past four weeks, I have had the privilege of going on a ride along with North Precinct and have visited the 6:30 am and 2:30 pm Police roll calls across Davidson County. As Nashville’s next mayor, I look forward to ensuring our police department not only has the manpower, the funds and technology needed to effectively serve our community, but that they also feel well respected by our city’s leaders and the community. I speak as a person who holds a degree in criminal justice and understands the needs and challenges of law enforcement. Thank you for all you do!” Swain is a political scientist and a…

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Ilhan Omar Comes to Rashida Tlaib’s Defense in Backlash Over Holocaust Comments

Anthony Gockowski

  Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) has repeatedly defended her colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-13) against criticisms related to comments she made about the Holocaust on a podcast over the weekend. “There’s always kind of a calming feeling I tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors, Palestinians, who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways have been wiped out, and some people’s passports,” Tlaib said on a Saturday episode of the podcast “Skullduggery.” “And just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews post the Holocaust, post the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time,” she continued. Tlaib immediately faced backlash for the comments, and was accused of engaging in revisionist history. “She ignored the fact that Palestinian leaders at the time allied themselves with Hitler and that total war is how the Arab world reacted to the declaration of Israeli independence,” CNN anchor John King said on his Monday show. Writing for The New York Post, Lahav Harkov, contributing editor…

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New House Bills Seek More Limits on Ohio Traffic Cameras

Maggie Leigh Thurber

  The use of photo-enforcement devices – also known as traffic cameras – has a contentious history in Ohio. Cities first started using them in 1999 when the Toledo City Council passed an ordinance authorizing their use. They made it a civil violation with a fine, but no points on a driver’s license like a police-issued ticket. Other cities followed and citizens often attempted ballot initiatives to eliminate them. Not having much success at the local level, citizens turned to the state legislature which responded with various limits and laws. First, the legislature tried to ban the use of cameras, but that was overruled by the Ohio Supreme Court under the state constitution’s “home rule” authority. Home rule basically means that cities and certain townships have the power to govern themselves and they have the power to adopt and enforce certain regulations that don’t conflict with the state’s general laws. This includes the power to adopt and enforce local police regulations and the Supreme Court rulings have said traffic photo-monitoring devices fall under those police regulations. Then the legislature said that if traffic cameras can’t be banned, a police officer must be present in order for any ticket from the camera…

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Senator Portman and Senator Cardin Reach Across the Aisle for Senior Retirement Reform

Mitch Shirley

  U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced a bill in the Senate Finance Committee containing several reforms to reinforce Americans’ retirement plans on Monday. The Retirement Security & Savings Act (S. 1431) introduced by the two senators addresses four ongoing issues with retirement plans. Portman has made the issue of retirement a mainstay of his office tenure. As The Ohio Star reported last month, he worked with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to give Ohioans a say in the pension plans set up by their employers. “As a matter of basic fairness, they deserve a role in determining how to bring these pensions to solvency, and this bill ensures they have a voice in this process,” said Portman. Now Portman is working with Cardin to bring these same reforms to the national stage. “Half of the baby-boomers have no retirement nest egg at all,” Portman said on Fox Business yesterday. In a press release from Cardin’s office, he had this to say on the retirement bill: “Ensuring that families and workers can retire with dignity and stability is an ongoing, and strongly bipartisan, effort. There have been many recent efforts acknowledging this need, yet more work needs to be done to make…

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Ohio Manufacturer Says Tariffs Have Brought ‘Growth’ and ‘Opportunities’ to Businesses

Anthony Gockowski

  MSNBC went to Ohio over the weekend to examine the impact of tariffs (separate from the Chinese tariffs) on businesses and retailers in the area. Glen Fish, CEO of Revere Plastic Systems, said that “since the tariff activities have kicked in, it has been a benefit for us.” “We’ve seen investments from our customers. We’ve also, in terms of capacity enhancements and additional volume, which has helped stabilize and strengthen our workforce. And we’ve seen opportunities arise with other companies moving to the U.S. as a result of some of this,” he continued. Fish said that the tariffs have provided “stability and predictability in terms of volumes and continued investment and growth” for his company. Fish’s business is based out of Clyde, Ohio and provides plastic parts to Whirlpool, which has a factory in the town. The tariffs have brought roughly 1,800 new jobs to America, but have also resulted in an increase to the cost of washers and dryers. Tom Phillips, an appliance retailer from Tiffin, Ohio, said the tariffs “have hurt us because of the price increase.” “You know, for 38 years or whatever I’ve never had this much of a price increase over two or three…

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Just Half of Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Patients Are Actually Buying the Product

Anthony Gockowski

  Only 49 percent of Ohioans registered with the state’s medical marijuana program are actually purchasing the product, according to the latest numbers released by the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program. As of April 30, there were 31,075 registered patients in the program with recommendations from a doctor, but only 15,339 of them purchased medical marijuana. That’s a nine percent increase, however, from the 40 percent of patients who were purchasing the product as of March. In total, 750 pounds of the product have been sold thus far in Ohio, generating $5.8 million in product sales. There are a number of factors that contribute to the relatively low purchasing numbers, one of which is the cost of medical marijuana in Ohio. According to The Cleveland Plain Dealer, medical marijuana costs an average of $450 per ounce in Ohio. That’s higher than the neighboring state of Pennsylvania, where marijuana can be purchased for as low as $280 per ounce. In Michigan, the cost is even lower. Another factor at play is the low number of dispensaries that have received a certificate of operation from the state. The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program notes that just 16 of 56 dispensaries have received a…

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Ohio’s Largest Christian Public Policy Team Is Expanding

Mitch Shirley

  Ohio’s Family Policy Council, Citizens for Community Values (CCV), added a new member to its public policy team. CCV announced on Monday the hiring of University of Cincinnati Law School graduate Rachel Citak, who will serve as CCV’s legislative liaison out of the Columbus office. The CCV has been extremely active in Ohio since its founding in 1986. Most recently, the group was a proponent of the “heartbeat bill” in a fight that’s been ongoing in Ohio for over a decade. “Gov. Mike DeWine is the strongest pro-life governor in the nation. With a stroke of a pen, he’s saved countless lives in the state of Ohio,” said Aaron Baer, president of CCV.  Citak, an active voice in the Ohio community, is now the CCV’s fourth registered lobbyist, making it the largest Christian public policy team in the state. She will join CCV President Aaron Baer, Barry Sheets, and Averel Meden. Baer has expressed his enthusiasm about the new addition to the team. “Ohioans elected one of the most pro-life, pro-family General Assembly’s in our state’s history,” said Baer. “The heartbeat bill has passed, but our work to protect life, build up families, and defend religious freedom is only…

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No Clear Legal Path for Forced Removal of Tennessee House Speaker Casada, Despite Partisan Drumbeat from Local Mainstream Media

Laura Baigert

  Despite the controversies that have surrounded Tennessee Speaker of the House Glen Casada the last two weeks and the relentless partisan drumbeat of the local mainstream media, the legal path to force his removal as Speaker by his political opponents remains unclear. The controversies erupted a little more than two weeks ago when NewsChannel 5 interviewed Justin Jones, the 23-year-old Vanderbilt University student who had been arrested in October for refusing to leave a private Marsha Blackburn fundraiser and resisting arrest, and was subsequently arrested on February 28 when he allegedly assaulted Speaker Casada and State Rep. Debra Moody at the State Capitol. In that interview, Jones, who is represented by NewsChannel 5 legal analyst Nick Leonardo, claimed that Speaker Casada and his staff had attempted to frame him when they reported an email from him that arrived in their office email on March 1 to the Davidson County District Attorney’s office as a violation of a court order prohibiting him from contacting the Speaker or his staff. In that same report, NewsChannel 5 showed a series of text communications between Casada, his chief of staff Cade Cothren, and an unidentified former staffer that included vulgar texts that objectified…

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