Two weeks after he backed other Republicans in ousting Democratic lawmakers for opposing gun control on the state House floor, a Tennessee politician resigned unexpectedly for an ethical violation.
Immediate Resignation
Republican leader Representative Scotty Campbell was found to have violated the legislature's discrimination and harassment policy. This was after complaints were filed against him by two teenage interns to an ethics subcommittee, as reported by CNN affiliate WTVF.
The report from the workplace discrimination and harassment subcommittee reads, "Based on the completed staff investigation, the Ethics Subcommittee finds that Rep. Campbell violated the Policy."
When questioned by WTVF about the encounters that included at least one legislative intern, Campbell said, "I had consensual adult conversations with two adults off property. I had no idea that a company policy could be followed even if you weren't physically present at work."
In a letter acquired by WTVF, Campbell's resignation from the Tennessee House of Representatives was "effective immediately" as of Thursday, April 20, at 2:18 PM local time.
Expelled Democrats
A week earlier, Campbell had voted with the majority to dismiss the Democratic legislators who had spearheaded the gun reform rally. When asked by the media why he voted to kick out the "Tennessee Three," Campbell said, "They broke the house rules of decorum."
The "Tennessee Three" moniker alludes to the three Democratic state representatives, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson, who were expelled from the state legislature.
Six people, including three adults and three 9-year-old pupils, were killed in a shooting at a Nashville elementary school, and the community responded with protests days later.
Two young black Democrats, Jones, and Pearson, from Districts 52 and 86, respectively, lost their seats in the Republican-controlled House. Despite the opposition, Johnson managed to keep her seat in the House from District 90.
CNN said Reps. Jones and Pearson were unanimously reappointed by their respective districts' elected representatives. They have since returned to the Tennessee House.
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Similar Events
What has happened with Campbell is not a particular incident. There have been similar incidents before, as reported by AP News.
After three decades of sexual misconduct allegations against former Republican Rep. David Byrd, legislators were under pressure to oust him in 2019. Byrd then decided to sit out the 2022 election cycle.
In 2019, Knoxville Democratic Rep. Rick Staples resigned from a leadership post after the same ethics commission found him in violation of the legislature's sexual harassment policy.
In 2016, state legislators voted 70-to-2 to remove Republican Rep. Jeremy Durham after an attorney general's inquiry found that he had illegal sexual contact with at least 22 women during his four years in office.
A Republican House congressman resigned in 2017 after being accused of improper sexual contact with a woman at a congressional function. Rep. Mark Lovell rejected the charges before resigning. Instead, he stated the elected role was more demanding than he thought and required time for his business activities and family.
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