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A prominent Tennessee lawmaker has agreed to withdraw in a controversy involving texts between him and a former assistant, prompting a vote of "no confidence" from his own party.
Republican House Speaker, Glen Casada, announced the announcement Tuesday after former Chief of Staff Cade Cothren resigned after being accused of sending racist and sexist messages there is three years. Casada admitted to having answered two of these messages, according to WKRN.
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"I had a conversation in the locker room, if you like, between two adult men, I'm not proud of that, I'm embarrassed about it," Casada said in a radio interview.
Casada was also accused of trying to interfere with a related ethics report, but he denied it.
DOSSIER – In this archival photo from May 1, 2019, House Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, stands at the microphone at a plenary session in Nashville, Tennessee. a vote of censure from his Republican caucus in a scandal over explicit SMS. (AP Photo / Mark Humphrey, file)
The House Republican Caucus passed a "no confidence" resolution with a vote from 45 to 24 Monday. At first Casada did not seem to be influenced by this.
"I am disappointed with the results of today's caucus vote," Casada said. "However, I will work over the coming months to regain the trust of my colleagues so that we can continue to build on the historic conservative achievements of this legislative session."
Rising pressure, particularly from Republican Gov. Bill Lee, eventually led Casada to change his mind.
"When I return to town on June 3, I will meet with the caucus leaders to determine the best date for my resignation as chair so that I can help facilitate a smooth transition," Casada said in a statement.
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Governor Lee supported the decision, saying it was the good call of the representative, who had only been in office since January.
"President Casada has made the right decision and I look forward to working with the Legislature to take over the leadership of the people's affairs and focus on the issues that matter most to our state," Lee said. in a statement.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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