Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Legislature / Politics / Woods House Sex Ethics Complaint: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Posted by Jeff Woods on Wed, Jan 28, 2009 at 6:48 AM
The committee is taking up Rep. Brian Kelsey's ethics complaint against Williams. The meeting probably won't shed new light on whether Williams sexually harassed Rep. Susan Lynn in the legislative parking garage two years ago or whether he's lying when he denies it now.
Instead (as we already have predicted), watch for the committee's six Democrats to vote with Williams' new buddy, deputy speaker Steve McDaniel, to dismiss Kelsey's complaint. At the same time, of course, they will assure the public they would never, ever condone sexual harassment. Afterward, the committee's Republicans, minus McDaniel, will appear before the TV cameras to throw fits of faux outrage, and Williams will crow that he's been exonerated.
We talked with one of the committee's Democrats, Rep. Henry Fincher, to ask his thoughts before the meeting. Fincher said he's keeping an open mind, then more or less said he's already made up his mind. He went back and forth in this vein several times. Here's Fincher:
"You gotta take any allegation of this nature seriously but, at the same time, the timing couldn't be more suspicious, and the fact that the victim isn't the one complaining makes it even more questionable. But hey, we'll have to listen and then see. ... Why wasn't this complaint filed two years ago? The obvious conclusion is Kent Williams wasn't speaker two years ago and Brian Kelsey wasn't mad at him. That's the biggest question I've got. We'll listen and see."
More Fincher:
"If Representative Lynn felt uncomfortable, that's an important thing. But I've heard her say in her news interviews that she considered the matter closed two years ago. So to me, it's like if the victim is content, where's Kelsey get off trying to dredge it up to make a point. You know what I mean?"
"We're not condoning anything. We're just not dredging up something that has been resolved. Nobody condones sexual harassment. ... These matters are tricky. It was inappropriate if it happened the way Representative Lynn says it happened. But I think the bigger story here is, why wait two years to bring it up? If it was not a big deal then, I'm surprised it's a big deal now. ... This just drips of partisanship."
Update: Bristol Herald Courier isn't so sure about this ethics complaint, either. And Lynn talks to yet another TV station.
Update II: Committee chairman Ulysses Jones looks for a reason to dismiss the complaint. He asks the legislature's lawyers whether Kelsey has legal standing to file the complaint.
Comments (2)
Showing 1-2 of 2
Could the house dems and house gop'ers have gotten what they wanted from a 2nd term rep. and are now content with watching him sink?
http://eyeontn.com/?p=236
like
dislike
