State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R–Franklin) and state Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R–Crossville) have filed a bill that would criminalize “doxxing” of federal agents and allow for the removal of elected officials in the latest escalation against Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
The bill, which will be debated in next year's legislative session, would make the “criminally negligent public release of certain confidential records” a class-E felony, and would pave the way for the removal of public officials from office — with a news release about the legislation specifically naming O’Connell, who is now the subject of a congressional investigation spearheaded by Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles.
Nashville mayor is ‘not particularly concerned’ about immigration-related investigation
The bill also aims to “expand confidentiality protections” under the Tennessee Public Records Act regarding “undercover officers and sensitive enforcement activity,” and increase penalties for “unauthorized disclosures of protected law enforcement information.”
On May 30, O'Connell pushed back against the Republican spotlight on his administration, noting that he's “not particularly concerned” about the congressional investigation.
“By definition, Nashville is not a sanctuary city,” O’Connell said at the time. “We do not nor have we ever had a policy that violates the state law. As we've stated several times in recent weeks, Metro does not have any legal authority as it relates to immigration enforcement, and we do not impede federal law enforcement actions. In fact, we regularly partner with state and federal law enforcement agencies to take violent criminals off our streets.”
In a release, Johnson cites a WKRN report on O’Connell saying that he won’t rescind Executive Order 30 — an order outlining Metro’s response to extensive Nashville arrests in early May by federal immigration officials and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Johnson says the legislation’s purpose is “to prevent future political defiance that undermines the rule of law and puts law enforcement at risk.”
An unknown number of people were detained in traffic stops and surrendered to federal immigration authorities, then bused out of state
The bill is in part a response to the Metro Nashville government posting the names of several ICE employees on a city website, something that the mayor's office said was “mistakenly included.” Republicans have pounced on the error and characterized it as “doxxing.”
“It was never the intent of the executive order for those names to be posted,” O’Connell said. “They were removed as soon as we were made aware that they had been posted. We're working on new safeguards and procedures to avoid it happening again.”
State Republicans say Johnson and Sexton’s bill “complements” a new federal bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn — the “Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act,” which could carry a sentence of to up to five years in prison for someone who publicly names a federal law enforcement officer “with the intent to obstruct a criminal investigation or immigration enforcement operation.”
“It sends a message not only to Mayor O’Connell, but to any other blue-city mayor who may consider following his lead," says Johnson. "Tennessee will protect its officers, not sacrifice them for political theater."
Some critics have characterized Republican leaders' immigration rhetoric and actions as “political theater,” with several faith leaders describing Ogles, Johnson and the state GOP’s fixation on O’Connell as "harassment” of the mayor.
The entirety of the Senate’s Republican leadership — Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile, Republican Caucus Chairman Ken Yager and Finance Committee Chairman Bo Watson — are co-sponsoring the bill.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Williamson Scene.
