Stockard on the Stump: Stop jacking around and let Casada and Cothren tell it to the judge

Former House Speaker Glen Casada leaving the Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse in Nashville with attorney Jonathan Farmer after being indicted on federal charges of bribery, kickbacks and conspiracy to commit money laundering on August 23.(Photo: John Partipilo)

Two and a half years from the day federal agents seized former Rep. Robin Smith’s phone and two years after the indictment of former House Speaker Glen Casada and his chief of staff, Cade Cothren, it’s a coin toss whether their trial will start Nov. 6.

The latest dust-up that could delay the case centers on Smith’s claim that federal prosecutors and attorneys for Casada and Cothren should turn over information from her laptops and cell phones protected by attorney-client privilege. Attorneys for Casada and Cothren contend Smith knew more than a year ago that the info on her phone was private and waited too long to protest.

One would think people with law degrees and court experience could settle this in two months. E ven though Casada and Cothren appear ready to gamble with a jury, the wheels of justice grind slowly, preventing inquiring minds from hearing the juicy details of the rise and fall of Casada/Cothren and the subsequent ascension of House Speaker Cameron Sexton.

Smith pleaded guilty in March 2022 in connection with a bribery and kickback scheme to cover up Cothren’s identity as he allegedly ran a vendor called Phoenix Solutions that did state-funded constituent mailers for several House members. As she and Casada steered business to Cothren, they had to keep it secret because the wounds were still fresh from his resignation as chief of staff in a racist and sexist text messaging scandal linked to Casada. The former speaker later resigned after only seven months as House speaker for his heavy-handed leadership style and a host of indiscretions but continued to serve in the House. (It didn’t help that Cothren admitted to cocaine and other drug use while working on Casada’s staff, but they were running fast and furiously at the time, and it all seemed like such fun – until it wasn’t.)

It should be noted that the House Republican Caucus also paid Phoenix Solutions for about $140,000 worth of work (it’s not part of the indictment), and the claim is they thought a guy named Matthew Phoenix ran the company. If you’re dumb enough to believe that, I’ve got some ocean-front property in Rutherford County to sell you. If they didn’t know, they’re idiots. If they knew, then Cothren is telling the truth.

Following Casada’s resignation after an infamous no-confidence vote at a local boutique hotel filled with weird-looking penguins and half-naked human-bears, Sexton rose to power.

Cothren claims he worked behind the scenes to help Sexton find votes and has the cell-phone log to prove it. The money he made (allegedly) off Phoenix Solutions was supposed to be his payback. But somewhere along the line, he and Sexton got sideways.

And here we are, more than two years later, ready to go to court. Well maybe.

Cothren has been dying to tell his side of the story for two years, and he appears to be gathering more ammo. According to a Tennessee Journal report, Cothren’s legal team hired a private eye to interview lawmakers in southwest Tennessee to find out what kind of campaign and mailer work Smith did for them.

Sexton, though, claims the FBI was in the room when he took over the House Speaker’s Office and that he is cooperating with the prosecution.

Casada declined to comment this week, saying he’s in “private life” and doesn’t want to answer any questions as he tries to enjoy his life in a “private fashion.”

That privacy won’t last long if this does go to court. It’s a “long letter on a short piece of paper.”

If nothing else, the trial could start the day after the Nov. 5 presidential election when we’ll all be hung over from staying up to see the returns. Still, we’ll be chomping at the bit for new news, and this has the potential to bring some jaw-droppers, potentially affecting the future of Tennessee’s political structure.

Gun restrictions?

The Second Amendment and Tennessee Constitution don’t cover every type of weapon or person, according to an opinion from Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti.

It just depends.

Responding to a query from Republican state Rep. Monty Fritts of Kingston, Skrmetti opined recently that some rifles, “but not all,” are covered by those documents, nor are long guns in every circumstance.

Fritts asked whether all rifles and long guns have Second Amendment and constitutional protections, “regardless of their type of actions (single shot, pump, lever, bolt or semi-automatic.”)

Skrmetti responded that the question doesn’t elicit a simple yes or no.

The opinion points out the Second Amendment extends to “bearable arms” including those that didn’t exist in the 1700s. It quotes a high court ruling that allows people to carry guns that are in “common use,” as opposed to those considered “dangerous and unusual.” It goes on to note in Heller v. District of Columbia that justices said, “We think it clear enough in the record that semi-automatic rifles and magazines holding more than ten round are indeed in ‘common use.’” Yet it adds that Heller also suggests that “machine guns and short-barreled shotguns do not fall within the scope of the Second Amendment’s protection.”

Say what? In an opinion, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti wrote that some rifles but not all fall under the protection of the Second Amendment and Tennessee Constitution and that while semi-automatic rifles are in ‘common use,’ the state can restrict their use.

Furthermore, the ruling says the fact that some rifles and long guns “fall within the scope” of the Second Amendment doesn’t preclude the state from restricting their use. It can stop them from being carried in schools and government buildings, and it can stop felons and the mentally ill from carrying them.

It’s unclear why Fritts requested the opinion. Maybe he’s trying to determine whether these long guns can be used to shoot down chemtrail-producing planes, since he passed the bill this year prohibiting chemtrails in Tennessee. Incidentally, I keep getting emails from people calling me crazy for raising doubts about chemtrail conspiracies. I can feel another one coming now.

Back on the guns, it seems odd that Republican leaders are trying to stop the Memphis City Council from putting gun-restriction questions on the November ballot when the attorney general says the state can enact the very regulations they want. The council’s referendums would “trigger” charter amendments to require handgun carry permits, restrict machine guns and allow extreme risk protection orders if the state passes laws to allow them, according to the resolutions’ sponsors.

Consider this: Memphis is having a problem with gun-related crime. The Legislature helped cause this with the silly “guns in trunks” law of 2013. But even as gun thefts from vehicles escalated over the last decade, the state reacted, not by rescinding “guns in trunks,” but by passing the permit-less handgun carry law. Skrmetti backed up the governor and Legislature by agreeing to drop the carry age to 18 in a court settlement. Meanwhile, little is done to encourage or enforce rules to lock up guns.

Please explain that logic?

But if you’re in the mood for an argument, don’t start it with the people from Winder, Georgia, where Apalachee High School is reeling from yet another shooting that involved a military-style gun. They don’t want to hear it.

The Russian connection

The Justice Department filed money-laundering charges against two employees of RT, a Russian state media network accused of hiring an American company, Tenet Media of Tennessee, to put out Internet propaganda to influence the November presidential election.

U.S. prosecutors say RT used fake companies to pay the Tennessee company $10 million to produce videos designed to split the country on questions such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. ( This is further proof that a man’s gotta make a living somehow.)

Former President Donald Trump called it part of the Justice Department’s effort to beat him this fall.

We’ve known, though, for several years that Vladimir Putin and Trump are tight and that Russia tried to influence the 2016 and 2020 elections in Trump’s favor.

The federal indictment doesn’t name the company in question but describes a firm that employs a “network of heterodox commentators that focus on Western political and cultural issues,” words that align with the promotion on Tenet’s website.

Two of the commentators, Benny Johnson and Tim Pool, said they and “other influencers” were duped, according to a Reuters article . Wait a second, I didn’t think people who influence the beliefs of others could be conned. Then again, maybe those who think they’re beyond getting scammed are the ones falling for the biggest con.

Some of their commentary doesn’t appear to be so subtle, either. Heterodox means they don’t conform with accepted or orthodox standards or beliefs. Well, that would depend on whether you buy a line of crap.

It’s not becoming unorthodox at all to believe that Russia should be allowed to run right over Ukraine, much like Hitler did Poland, and for Nazis to march through Nashville shouting all sorts of stupid slogans.

Not that Tenet Media is doing any of this. They claim that “fearless voices live here.” Their promotion also says their goal is “support creators who question institutions that believe themselves to be above questioning. In our view, all issues du jour merit rigorous and honest discussion if one wants to come closest to the truth.”

Gimme back my bullets

Speaking of hogwash, Axios reports Congressman Andy Ogles wants the FBI agents who confiscated his phone as part of a federal campaign finance probe to return text messages and emails he had with colleagues and former President Trump.

He claims they’re related to his congressional work, which is protected by federal law, and he wants to go back over the items in his cell phone and remove documents dealing with legislative work.

Ogles’ attorneys, Alex Little and David Raybin, contend the feds can’t just “rummage through” the congressman’s business, according to the report.

By that reasoning, Ogles could claim every bit of information on his phone is connected to his legislative work since he never really stops serving the people of the gerrymandered 5th Congressional District. Some might ask: When does he start serving?

If the FBI gives up this info without a fight, they might as well fold, unless Ogles is just raising money for a burial garden. Oops, he already did that, and it’s nowhere to be found.

Tennessee 5th District Congressman confirms FBI fraud investigation

Ogles raised eyebrows when he claimed to have raised $450,000 two years ago to give him credibility without lending his campaign uno dinero. It turned out he raised about $250,000 and made a $320,000 loan to his effort, which he amended earlier this year to say he really only lent his campaign $20,000.

The Lookout reported that he said the additional $300,000 was held in a joint account with his wife and that he made good after finding out it wasn’t allowed.

Besides that oversight, the watchdog group Campaign Legal Center reported that Ogles failed to report a $700,000 line of credit he took out after his 2022 primary win. Sounds as if he could be living off his campaign account.

In other words, he fibbed on his Federal Election Commission filing, much the same as he did on his resume, which has more fabrications than a Saturday Night Live Pathological Liars Anonymous skit.

Call me crazy, but Ogles seems more concerned with getting rid of the evidence than following federal law.

Gone but not really

Former Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn was one of several University of Florida staffers fired recently after former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse resigned his presidency there.

Sasse left the post after everyone found out he turned the university into a personal playhouse, boosting his own salary and inventing highly-paid positions to reward cronies. How appropriate for a conservative lawmaker from Nebraska.

Schwinn, who was making $367,500 a year as the university’s vice president of PK-12 and pre-bachelor’s program, was still living in her $1 million Nashville home, according to the independent florida alligator student newspaper.

That’s a pretty sweet deal for working in your slippers and robe. But Schwinn has made a career out of massaging money and spouting edu-babble.

Former Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn has lost her $367,500 a year job — which she worked from her Tennessee home — with the University of Florida after boss and former Republican U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse resigned as president.

Gov. Bill Lee chose her to run the Tennessee Education Department in 2018 even though a Texas audit found she failed to follow rules for a no-bid $4.4 million special education contract. She caught the wrath of Tennessee lawmakers for approving a $2.5 million no-bid contract with Florida-based ClassWallet to run the state’s Education Savings Account program using Career Ladder funds that were supposed to go toward teacher salaries.

In more Schwinn-anigans, she had to get a waiver from Tennessee’s procurement office and promise to do everything but drink from the kitchen sink to sign a $16 million contract with the New York-based company that employed her husband.

During Lee’s annual State of the State addresses in the House chamber, Schwinn made a yearly spectacle of herself, jumping up and down and clapping for his every word like a junior high cheerleader. Absolutely cringe-worthy.

“You better take your diamond ring / you better pawn it babe.” *

(* Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan)

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