Today’s lesson for Tennessee legislators: When Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey decides it’s time for you to go, you probably should think about taking your leave.
Ramsey just finished accusing Rep. Jeremy Durham of having an affair with another state lawmaker — an extramarital relationship that Ramsey said forced her to resign her seat. Yes, the cat’s out of the bag. Ramsey wouldn’t give the lawmaker’s name, but the only woman who has quit lately is Somerville Rep. Leigh Wilburn, who resigned late last year in the middle of her first term citing undisclosed personal family reasons. We’re reaching out to Wilburn for comment.
Ramsey made his comments to reporters after an appearance at the Tennessee Press Association’s winter convention in response to a question about whether there was enough evidence against Durham for the House to expel the Franklin Republican. Ramsey called for the House to do that yesterday.
Honestly we don’t want the press lynching anybody. But the press didn’t force somebody to send text messages after midnight asking for pictures. The press didn’t force somebody to have an affair with another state rep and force them to resign. So on and on and on. I think the evidence is there for this to happen. It’s such a huge distraction.
Reporters pressed Ramsey to elaborate on the unidentified lawmaker with whom Durham supposedly was having an affair, and Ramsey wouldn’t do it.
“I think everybody knows what I’m talking about,” he said with a big wink.
Ramsey said he hopes Durham will read the handwriting on the wall and quit the legislature once he realizes his expulsion is a distinct possibility.
“You go to the floor and hopefully, hopefully if he knows this is coming up and there’s going to be a vote that he will resign,” Ramsey said. “It’’s going to take something like drastic for that to happen. When it’s ready to go up on the board, he’ll say, ‘OK, I’m out of here.’”
