Burchett's vote on Santos expulsion has more than a whiff of partisan hypocrisy | Ashe

U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett voted Dec. 1 to keep disgraced Republican Rep. George Santos in Congress on the grounds he had not been convicted of a crime.

That argument, however, has not prevented Burchett from supporting the impeachment of President Joe Biden and members of his Cabinet who have not been charged with a crime, much less credibly accused. Is it because one is a Republican and the other is a Democrat? Burchett has failed to provide a reasonable explanation to his constituents.

While I disagree with many of Biden’s actions and lack of actions, he has not done anything that merits impeachment or been charged with a crime as former President Donald J. Trump has been. But you can count on Burchett to vote for impeachment for the highest constitutional office of our nation and stunts like trying to defund Vice President Kamala Harris’s salary.

If one is unhappy with Biden, then one should work hard to defeat him at the ballot box in November 2024.

Burchett has withdrawn his signature from a letter to Biden requesting a pardon for Leonard Peltier, who murdered two FBI agents. Burchett claims it was a miscommunication that led to his signing.

But in a new letter to Biden (shown here) requesting the withdrawal, he did not indicate what he thought of the requested pardon. Burchett has gone from supporting the pardon to now being neutral on this convicted felon. Even President Barack Obama turned down pardon requests for Peltier.

Recently I joined a federal lawsuit, along with Knoxville businessman Phil Lawson and the League of Women Voters, to challenge the constitutionality of a new state law. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Nashville.

That state law we are challenging directs that a sign be posted in large print in a prominent place in all polling places across Tennessee stating it is a criminal offense to vote in a party primary if you are not a “bona fide” member of that party.

First, the law doesn’t define bona fide, which makes it impossible to enforce.

Second, the cost and effect of posting these specially created signs statewide will be considerable and serve to intimidate lawful voters.

Third, this law likely will suppress voting in Tennessee. We should be urging a larger voter turnout in party primaries, especially given the weak turnout in our recent Knoxville city election, in which only 16 percent voted.

In 1972, during my elected service career, I authored Tennessee’s presidential primary law, along with then-state Sen. Bill Bruce, Democrat from Memphis, in order to give members of both parties a larger voice in who is chosen as the presidential nominees. Gov. Winfield Dunn signed it into law. Dunn later vetoed a bill to repeal the primary law and his veto was not overridden.

March 5, 2024, is the date of our next primary.

Gov. Bill Lee becomes chair of the Republican Governors Association this month, which will give him greater visibility across the U.S., especially in GOP circles.

Lee spoke Nov. 29 at a fundraiser for state Sen. Becky Massey. More than 100 people attended, including Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, House Speaker Cameron Sexton; former Congressman Jimmy Duncan and his wife, Vickie; state senators Paul Bailey, Richard Briggs and Dawn White; businessmen Jim Haslam II, Rich Maples, Jim Haslam and Wes Stowers; attorneys Larry Liebowitz, Mark Mamantov and Howard Vogel. More than $70,000 was raised.

Damon Rawls kicked off his Knox County Commission campaign Nov. 30 with a reception at Magnolia Cafe. Current Commissioner Dasha Lundy is not seeking reelection but has endorsed Rawls. More than 75 people attended.

Rawls, president of Innovation Digital, is opposed in the Democratic primary by former County Commissioner Evelyn Gill. He also has the backing of County Commissioner and former chair Courtney Durrett.

Birthdays

Dec. 14: Betty Sterchi is 91. Jared Darling is 50. Chad Ragle is 48. Posey Congleton is 76. Charlie Daniel is 94. Matt Schaefer is 47. Justin E. Hoskins is 41. Ken Badal is 80.

Dec. 15: Former sheriff J J Jones is 65. John K. Alpers is 61. Christine Cruz is 56. Brian Pittman is 58. Dawn Ford is 79.

Dec. 16: Architect David Collins is 67. Mary Kay Sullivan is 81. Brent Watson is 68. Valeta Norris is 61.

Dec. 17: Anna Toon is 40. Beverly Ritchie Gill is 85. Pope Francis is 87. John W. McCallie is 77. Former state Rep. Martin Daniel is 67. John Thurman is 43. Clayton Christenberry is 82. Sam Dixon is 62.

Dec. 18: County Commission candidate Garrett Holt is 30. Ken Creed is 83. Archie Ellis and Mike Wirth are 72. Mary English is 79. Vivian Shipe is 68.

Dec. 19: Eric Dawson is 50. Jenny Boyd, wife of UT President Randy Boyd, is 66. Dr. Mark Overholt is 59. Vickie Duncan, wife of former Congressman Jimmy Duncan, is 75. John L. Verdeaux is 44. Journalist Ryan Wilusz is 29. Bob Kesling is 70. Pye Conway Jr. is 86. UT Spanish professor Nina Cruz is 55. Richard J. Levenson is 72. Mitch McCampbell is 71.

Dec. 20: Sheriff Tom Spangler is 65.

Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist for Shopper News. 

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Burchett's vote on Santos expulsion has whiff of partisan hypocrisy