Crowder says he didn’t pay for Covenant pages; Groups push for release of remaining parts of ‘manifesto’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Tuesday, talk show host Steve Crowder addressed rumors, insisting that he didn’t pay anyone to obtain several leaked pages of the so-called Covenant manifesto.
“No one sold us anything. We did not purchase anything,” Crowder said during his show Tuesday.
Crowder told News 2 his source obtained the images from a detective with the Metro Nashville Police Department. The investigation continues into where exactly the three pages shared by Crowder came from.
PREVIOUS: Documents by Covenant shooter released by radio host
However, no one has confirmed if in fact someone inside the police department was responsible for the leak.
After the release of those pages on Monday, Covenant father Brent Leatherwood was appalled, calling the person inside the police department a “viper.”
Despite several Covenant parents fighting to prevent any more journal entries being released, one attorney told News 2 he would continue to fight for the release of them.
Doug Pierce represents the National Association of Police, one of the parties suing for the release of the documents. Pierce explained the Secret Service has been collecting journals and records from school shootings for decades.
“Dozens upon dozens of instances of potential violence at school have been disrupted of, thwarted, or prevented. So making this information available can save the lives of people in the future,” Pierce said.
He added an assertion he’s argued with the lawsuit, an idea he said originates from a Supreme Court justice.
‘You are a viper’: Covenant parents respond after radio host leaks shooter’s alleged writings
“The public does not demand infallibility of their public institutions, but they find it difficult to accept what they are prohibited from observing, and so once things are denied to the public like that, then it just engenders some suspicions about government,” Pierce said.
After reviewing the three released pages, Pierce said he didn’t see any exemptions the court could use to prevent the rest of the documents from being released.
“There’s been a handful of suggested exceptions that might apply here; I’ll just go through a couple. One has to do with security. I didn’t see anything in these three pages that would compromise school security. Another has to do with…the suggestion has been made that, ‘Well, this shooter is dead; she’s not going to be prosecuted, but made there was someone else who was involved in helping her.’ I don’t see anything in these three pages that would suggest that,” Pierce added.
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Rep. Jeremy Faison (R-Cosby) has previously called for the full release of the writings and released the following statement to News 2 on Tuesday:
“It’s disappointing that someone close to the investigation might have used their position to undermine the great work of the Metro Nashville Police Department. I sincerely hope that is not the case, but if it is, the person responsible should be held accountable.
We will never have all the answers we want, but it is still my belief that the shooter’s writings and complete medical history will provide vital insight into her behavior and motives leading up to this heinous, evil act. This information should be released promptly in an appropriately redacted way that protects public safety and respects Covenant victims.”
Rep. Jeremy Faison
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