Attorney for Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Asks District Attorney Glenn Funk to Recuse Himself from Investigation of Her Conduct

In a hand-delivered letter to District Attorney Glenn Funk, Jerry Martin – Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s lawyer – asked late Thursday that Funk “revisit the issue of whether you and your office may have a conflict of interest” in the criminal investigation into possible wrongdoing surrounding the embattled Mayor’s two-year extramarital affair with her former bodyguard, retired Metro Nashville Police Sgt. Rob Forrest. A copy of the letter was obtained by NewsChannel 5 Investigates, who report: That request came in a letter hand-delivered to Funk on Thursday. Later that night, Barry questioned Funk’s role in the case, including what she called a politically motivated decision to publicly release a damning TBI affidavit that implied investigators may have nude photos of the mayor. Barry’s attorney, Jerry Martin, wrote in the letter that Funk himself had raised the possibility of a conflict of interest back in early February. “I would respectfully ask you to revisit the issue of whether you and your office may have a conflict of interest,” Martin wrote in the letter obtained by NewsChannel 5 Investigates. “Understand that I raise this issue not only to ensure that my client gets a fair process but also to ensure that the…

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Nashville Mayor’s Attorney: TBI Now Has the Passcode for Megan Barry’s Personal Cellphone

Friday morning via a detailed statement released by her lawyer, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s attorney said he shared the passcode to Barry’s personal cell phone – at her direction – with the TBI, fulfilling their request in furtherance of the investigation into possible wrongdoing surrounding the Mayor’s years-long affair with her former security chief, Rob Forrest. “This morning I spoke with TBI Director Mark Gwyn to provide the TBI with the passcode for Mayor Barry’s personal cell phone,” attorney Jerry Martin said in a statement, noting, “This is her personal phone, not her Metro issued phone. I have confidence that Director Gwyn will ensure that the TBI limits its search of her personal phone to only items that are relevant to its investigation.” Martin continued, adding context and narrative to the reportage about the Mayor’s alleged ‘stonewalling’ saying that the “reports that the Mayor has been uncooperative during this process are untrue:” We have provided the TBI with thousands of pages of documents at its request. I would like to set the record straight to clear up any confusion related to the Mayor’s cooperation, especially as it relates to her personal cell phone. On February 15, 2018, I met with District…

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Carol Swain Commentary: Why Mayor Barry Should Resign

The following are the full remarks as prepared by Carol Swain for delivery at Tuesday evening’s Resign Now! Megan Barry Rally: We are here because leadership matters and so does good government. We believe our city and state and our children would be best served by the immediate resignation of Democrat Mayor Megan Barry. Her illicit affair with a married subordinate and the on-going investigations concerning her abuse of power and the people’s pocketbook make her unsuitable to carry out the duties of the office. We are not here to judge her extramarital affair, for which she has apologized and asked for the forgiveness of God and the people of Nashville. Mayor Barry correctly stated God will forgive her, and many of us have already done so. I count myself as one of these. Forgiveness is an expectation and duty of Christians, if we expect God to forgive us of our sins. We are all sinners in need of a Savior. We can ask for and expect forgiveness when we confess and turn from sin. But, in forgiveness, we are left with the messy details of our wrongdoing and must deal with unexpected and unintended consequences of unethical and sometimes…

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‘Resign Now! Megan Barry’ Rally Set for Tomorrow at Metro Nashville Courthouse

A rally calling on embattled Mayor Megan Barry to resign “effective immediately” will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, February 20, at 5 p.m., on the south side steps of the Metro Nashville Davidson Courthouse, organizer Rick Williams told FOX 17. Late last month Mayor Barry admitted to having a two-year-long extramarital affair with her Metro Nashville police officer bodyguard, Sgt. Rob Forrest. The two took nine trips alone together out-of-state at taxpayer expense over the two years. One of these trips was to Athens, Greece, another was to San Francisco, California, and yet another was to Washington, D.C. “Having sex with a subordinate is an ethics violation for sure at a minimum,” Williams explained to the Fox affiliate, adding: They feel like she was busy with a romance for two years and didn’t tend to the things she promised. Corporate leaders, they question whether they should work with someone with a recent tainted past. I personally like Megan Barry. I felt very sorry when her son passed away, I attended both the visitation and funeral. It’s not anything personal at all, I just think she’s lost the trust of the citizens. Long-time pastor and Nashville community activist Enoch Fuzz is expected…

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Was Scheduled to Travel With Lover Rob Forrest to Attend the Grammy Awards in New York

After repeated denials that taxpayer money was used to fund and then cover up the years-long affair between Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and her security chief, Rob Forrest, WMSV reported that newly released documents the show the illicit couple was set to travel to New York together in order to attend the Grammy Awards on January 26. “Within the last two hours, we obtained more records from City Hall,” reporter Allana Autler began: We’ve just learned that there was another trip scheduled for the Mayor and her bodyguard for January 26 – just a few weeks ago. It was for Barry to attend the Grammy Awards in New York. Records show the trip was approved on January 10th. The Mayor’s spokesman says he can’t say when in January it was cancelled. But he did say she changed her plans and came home instead. We now know that’s the weekend before news of the affair broke. This new bombshell revelation appears at the end of the video embedded below, which contains a two-and-a-half minute report of an one-on-one interview by Aulter of Barry regarding a number troubling details surrounding the affair between the Mayor and her security chief, and the potential misuse of taxpayer money.…

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry a ‘Broken Record’ with Non-Answers about Lover’s Daughter’s Job as City Attorney

WSMV reporter Alanna Autler caught up with embattled Mayor Megan Barry to ask several questions regarding the creation of a single job in the Metro Nashville Legal Department that was summarily filled by Macy Amos Forrest, the adult daughter of Mayor Barry’s paramour and erstwhile security chief, Rob Forrest. Autler asks Barry a straightforward question about the unusual hire, and instead of a direct response, the Mayor replied with a non-answer that Forrest’s daughter, “was qualified,” for the job, and that there were “lots of people who stepped forward and said she should have this job, and I was happy to lend my voice.” WSMV edited the video of the interview for the news broadcast into what is essentially a ‘highlights’ reel of the most scintillating parts of the interview. However, in a separate post, the station published the entire transcript of the encounter between Barry and Autler. The video version does a good job of showing Barry’s clearly rehearsed non-answers to the young journalist’s questions. But when the segment is compared to the unedited video and full transcript, the extent of the Mayor’s stonewalling behavior is laid bare. Part Two – The Hiring of Rob Forrest’s Daughter, Macy Amos Forrest FULL TRANSCRIPT (‘highlight’ quotes…

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Mayor Megan Barry Repeatedly Refuses to Answer Questions from WSMV Reporter About Taxpayer Resources Used to Send Her and Lover Rob Forrest On Luxury Trips

WSMV reporter Alanna Autler caught up with embattled Mayor Megan Barry to ask several questions regarding the possible misappropriation of taxpayer funds and other resources used to support and then cover up Barry’s years-long affair with the head of her security detail, Rob Forrest. Despite several attempts by Autler to get a straight answer regarding records showing overseas travel and luxury accommodations with Forrest, Mayor Barry refused to deliver any kind of answer, and instead hid behind the lawyerly response that, “in cooperation with the TBI investigation we continue to provide them the answers, and I look forward to knowing that were no taxpayer dollars misused in any way.” WSMV edited the video of the interview for the news broadcast into what is essentially a ‘highlights’ reel of the most scintillating parts of the interview. However, in a separate post, the station published the entire transcript of the encounter between Barry and Autler. The video version does a good job of showing Barry’s clearly rehearsed non-answers to the young journalist’s questions. But when the segment is compared to the unedited video and full transcript, the extent of the Mayor’s stonewalling behavior is laid bare. Part One – Travel to Greece and San Francisco…

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Mayor Megan Barry: I Don’t Plan on Resigning

Embattled Mayor Megan Barry sat down with WKRN’s Bob Mueller to discuss the ongoing firestorm of revelations about how City resources may have been used to support, and then cover up, her years-long extramarital affair with the head of her security detail, Rob Forrest. WKRN aired a 60-second preview of the full interview, which viewers can watch Sunday, February 11, during the 6pm news broadcast. In the video, Barry, a Democrat and fierce critic of conservatives and the Trump agenda, told Mueller flatly, “I don’t plan on resigning,” and that, “At the moment, I fully believe that the TBI investigation will conclude that there were no taxpayer dollars that were misused.” Mueller asked, “Do you hope for a fast conclusion to this? Do you want the informations out there? And will the results of all these investigtions be made public?” Barry answered, “As far as I know – I don’t know how that all works; this is all new territory – but I will tell you clearly for me, the faster this gets resolved the better for my family and the citizens of Nashville.” Meanwhile, a new report exposing a potential career-ending conspiracy for at least a handful of additional staffers to manipulate the…

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Commentary: And There Are Some Questions The Tennessean Doesn’t Even Want to Ask

Tennessean columnist Alex Hubbard noted in a column over the weekend that “Some Questions Matter More Than Others in Megan Barry Affair.”  He’s right, and many of the questions he posed are actually among those that deserve a clear and honest answer from Mayor Barry. However, there are a number of other “non-ideological” questions that Hubbard either doesn’t want asked or answered. Perhaps there is an ideological basis for the questions that the liberal Tennessean prefers to ignore. First, Hubbard follows the lead of previous Tennessean editorial commentary in defini-tively stating that the current “public discussion surrounding sexual harassment does not apply here.” Really? Sexual harassment isn’t just about “consensual versus non-consensual” distinctions when it comes to sexual relationships in the workplace. A boss and subordinate may be perfectly happy with their secret affair, and the benefits that inure to the subordinate in terms of promotions, bonuses, and other work benefits. That may have been the case with Mayor Barry and Sgt. Forrester. But what about the other members of the security detail who didn’t benefit from the “consensual” relationship? Perhaps another officer passed on the flirtations of Mayor Barry, thereby denying himself the overtime and international travel that Sgt.…

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Support for Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Begins to Crumble as Calls for Her Resignation Grow

The Tennessean’s Clarksville-based liberal columnist and opinion writer Saritha Prabhu penned a passionate call on Mayor Megan Barry to resign from office Friday afternoon after a new wave of revelations surrounding Barry’s affair and cover-up with top staffer Rob Forrest came to light. “Disappointed on many levels describes how I feel about the Megan Barry situation,” she begins, in a surprisingly candid and heartfelt indictment of Nashville’s first woman to hold its top elected office: Mayor Barry shocked and saddened our Middle Tennessee community when she revealed recently that she had had a nearly two-year extramarital affair with her top security officer. I live in Clarksville, but I was proud when Nashville elected its first female mayor in late 2015. But now, each new revelation about the affair has been damning to her and to her continued political survival. To cut to the chase: She should do Nashville and herself a favor and resign. To continue as mayor would be to prolong the ugliness, and drip-drip nature of the revelations, and to further undercut her authority to lead. If this had been an affair with a private citizen on her own dime, it’d probably be none of our business. But this is different,…

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After Returning Home From Travel With Lover Whose Expenses Were Paid by City, Mayor Barry Lectured Belmont Students on Ethics

Shortly after traveling alone with Sgt. Robert Forrest, head of her security detail during the period of time Mayor Megan Barry admitted to their on-going adulterous relationship, she lectured students at Belmont University about the role of ethics in government. Less than two weeks after her trip to D.C. with Sgt. Forest, on March 22, 2017, Mayor Barry spoke to Belmont University’s Student Center for the Public Trust (Student CPT) telling students that “people have to have faith that their government is ethical.” The Student CPT is “a national network of college students who demonstrate a commitment to ethical leadership.” There are a total of 6 Student CPT chapters at Tennessee schools, all supported by the national Center for the Public Trust whose stated mission is “to champion the public trust by advancing ethical leadership in business, institutions and organizations.” According to a news release from Belmont’s Office of Communications, the Mayor talked about the role and importance of ethical leadership even while admitting that it’s not always a simple matter to capture “what an ethical situation looks like.” She also told the students that, “people have to have faith that their government is ethical.Without this faith rooted in the community, everything…

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Ethical Violations Continue to Mount for Nashville Mayor Megan Barry: City Hired Daughter of Security Chief Lover She Recommended

Shortly after taking office in 2015, Mayor Megan Barry recommended Macy Amos – the adult daughter of her security detail Rob Forrest, with whom she would later admit to having an extensive affair – for a lucrative job withing the Nashville’s legal department. The City’s legal department had not added any positions for a period of two years nor did they budget for such and expansion, The Tennessean reports. But after a new, entry-level job was created, Barry swiftly approved the move and recommended Amos. No other applicant was considered, and she was hired in January 2016. The Tennessean reports that Metro Law Department Director Jon Cooper insists the the decision to hire Amos was his and no one else’s, and notes that Amos was a highly qualified candidate with a law degree from Belmont University and previous interning experience with Mayors Bill Purcell and Karl Dean. “The mayor did recommend Macy during a meeting I had with her at some point, as did a number of people in the legal community,” Cooper said in an email to The Tennessean, adding that she was the “logical choice” for the job. To date, Mayor Barry has given answers that are vague and sometimes…

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Long-Time Pastor and Community Activist Enoch Fuzz Calls on Mayor Megan Barry to Resign

In another devastating blow from her left-leaning base, long time pastor and community activist Reverend Enoch Fuzz called on embattled Mayor Megan Barry to resign from office after a series of revelations involving a years-long extramarital affair came to light. “If the mayor stays in office, those important issues are put at risk. Even the big thing about the possibility that the great Amazon company would come here, those kinds of things are put at risk,” Rev. Enoch Fuzz told WKRN News: The billions of dollars in investments that are being lost right now because we are distracted by this kind of thing. R-e-s-i-g-n. Not to insult, not to hurt, not to condemn, but for the good of all the people who are citizens of the city, including Megan. Let’s move aside so that the world can see that our city is moving ahead. WKRN notes that so far – despite public outcry – the Metro Nashville Council members have not asked Mayor Barry to step down, and indeed, have largely “kept mum on the subject of her affair.”    

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The Left Turns on Megan Barry

Community Oversight Nashville (CON), a coalition of leftist and left-leaning groups came together to issue an open letter Monday raising serious questions as to Mayor Megan Barry fitness to hold office, in light of the bombshell revelations into possible legal and ethical wrongdoing stemming from her elicit extra-marital affair with the head of her security detail, Rob Forrest. The letter begins: We, undersigned members of the Community Oversight Now Coalition, are writing this letter to ensure that our concerns regarding the ramifications and repercussions of Mayor Barry’s admission of an improper relationship with MNPD Sergeant Robert Forrest, Jr. are adequately considered and fully addressed. We have also filed an ethics complaint with the Metro Board of Ethical Conduct as we are convinced that Mayor Barry has acted unethically. We feel that Mayor Barry may have been improperly influenced against the community oversight board due to her relationship with Sgt. Forrest. Community Oversight Nashville’s members come from a broad spectrum of left-of-center groups, including Black Lives Matter, Justice for Jocques, Democracy Nashville, Gideon’s Army, The Harriet Tubman House, and No Exceptions Prison Collective. The coalition’s aim is to form community oversight committees to which law enforcement would answer in cases of…

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Dodges Responsibility As Elected Official on Affair, Denies ‘Giving Women’s Rights a Bad Smell’

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry dodged repeated questions at a televised press conference Wednesday night on whether her extra-marital affair with her chief bodyguard, a city employee, was hypocritical as a champion of women’s rights. She also seemed to acknowledge she only came out because the news was breaking. “I am embarrassed and I am sad and I am sorry for all the pain I caused my family and his family, and I know that God will forgive me, but I know Nashville doesn’t have to,” Barry said. She added she hopes she can earn back people’s trust. Earlier in the day, in 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 on Wednesday. Forrest resigned — the term being used is retirement after 31 years with the police department. Barry said he gave notice on Jan. 17. During the press conference, Barry was asked more than once about the professional aspect of having an affair with a subordinate, especially in terms of women’s rights. The point was raised that if a man were in her position, he…

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