High-profile Republicans' silence over House expulsions speaks volumes | Victor Ashe

Tennessee Republicans should not expect the controversy over their expulsion of two young Black lawmakers from the state House of Representatives to fade anytime soon.

Across the nation, charges of racism have been leveled against the GOP, although House Speaker Cameron Sexton denied this on Fox News.

While I personally do not believe Sexton or the GOP leadership are racist, they should have realized when they embarked on this path that the optics of what they were doing suggests racist motives. Should Sexton run for governor in 2026, this whole episode will be part of his history.

No one predicted that Vice President Kamala Harris would personally come to Fisk University in support of expelled lawmakers Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, or that President Joe Biden would invite them to the White House, or that Democratic U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Chris Murphy would open up their campaign war chests to donate to Democrats across Tennessee, or that Jones and Pearson would be on “Meet the Press” and “Good Morning America,” among other national news shows.

Both men powerfully defended themselves before the House, and the Republicans handling the expulsion resolutions were outmaneuvered in their presentations.

Meanwhile, both Jones and Pearson have been restored to their seats by municipal bodies in Nashville and Memphis. And Knox County Rep. Gloria Johnson – who was also targeted for expulsion for standing in the House well in protest with Jones and Pearson – survived by one vote and has been restored to her committees.

Gov. Bill Lee was invisible during this whole process, which put Tennessee in a bad light. Of the five Knox County GOP House members − who all voted to overturn Johnson's 57.9% victory in her district − all but one have not explained their reasons for their votes. Rep. Jason Zachary simply said he stood behind his vote but never explained why.

State Rep. Elaine Davis said in reply to my inquiry that the three lawmakers selfishly put themselves ahead of the people of Tennessee. She said they used bullhorns and protest signs, but the video of Johnson showed she never picked up either.

All eight Republican Congress members from Tennessee, including Knoxville’s Tim Burchett, and our two U.S. senators have been silent. None wants to defend this, but they are unwilling to criticize it.

GOP National Committeeman Oscar Brock said it will make it more difficult to attract young voters to the GOP. Brock is the son of the late U.S. Sen. Bill Brock.

Middle Tennessee Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Green, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, held a fundraiser for his 2024 reelection campaign at Cherokee Country Club on March 31.

Burchett, state Sens. Becky Massey and Richard Briggs, and Zachary, Pete DeBusk, Wes Stowers and Susan Richardson Williams, were co-hosts. About 45 attended.

Green is a likely Republican candidate for governor in 2026, and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs is a potential opponent.

Matt Shears, 29, was reelected April 1 to his third term as chair of Knox County Democrats by more than 230 who had gathered. Democrats will concentrate next year on winning the County Commission seat now held by Kyle Ward, who is retiring. Kat Bike won her school board seat as a Democrat in the identical district in 2022.

Shears is energetic, organized and smart enough to avoid internal strife. The new county GOP chair, Buddy Burkhardt, is also smart enough to avoid controversy as he seeks to restore normalcy after the controversy of previous chair Daniel Herrera. Shears ran circles around Herrera, but Burkhardt will not be so easy to outfox.

The Knoxville Garden Club celebrates its 100th birthday this year with a remarkable record of contributions to Knoxville. Joann Coakley is current president. The club hosts the annual Talahi Plant Sale, started in 1964, and this year's sale is April 22 at Lakeshore Park.

The Garden Club has actively supported many community projects, including Blount Mansion, Knoxville Museum of Art, Legacy Parks and Knoxville Botanical Gardens. This year the Garden Club is giving $50,000 to Blount Mansion to install an orchard and greenhouse. Their Blount Mansion support goes back to 1934.

Birthdays

April 22: Jason H. Long is 52. TVA attorney David Fountain is 56. Nadim Jubran is 35. Former county trustee Ed Shouse is 73. Michael Wilhoit is 41. Mohit M. Mankad is 59. Bailey Foster is 51. Jerry Bodie is 65.

April 23: Sarah Roberto, second lady of Knoxville, is 44. Courtney DeLaura is 45. Alvin Nance is 66. Paul J. Kedrow is 77.

April 24: Former Parks and Recreation director Joe Walsh is 68. Retired Art and Architecture dean Marleen Davis is 71. Architect Bill Andrews is 66. Jeanette Kelleher of East Tennessee Foundation is 62.

April 25: Jeff Welch is 69. Michael Laverdure is 43. Kevin Green is 39. Ed Nicholson is 77. Susan Hyde is 73.

April 26: Attorney John Valliant is 76. Former First Lady Melania Trump is 53. Brandon Hardin is 39. Karen Carson is 65. Michael Brezina is 44. County Mayor Glenn Jacobs is 56. Sandra Clark is 75. Mark Dukes is 57. Brian Simmons is 51. Parks and Recreation Director Sheryl Ely is 54.

April 27: Dr. Robert Madigan is 81. Terry Turner is 54. Dan Smith is 82. Ray Pinkstaff is 69. Lewis Cosby is 73. Mark Brackney is 55. Daniel Sanders is 42. Jennifer Morton is 58.

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: Republicans' silence over Tennessee Three expulsions speaks volumes