NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A sexual harassment scandal involving Tennessee state Rep. Scotty Campbell cost taxpayers at least $8,841, with part of that money being shelled out in cash, NewsChannel 5 Investigates has learned.
As NewsChannel 5 previously reported, legislative officials relocated the college intern from the apartment building where she and the East Tennessee Republican each had apartments, placing her in an $189-night downtown hotel at taxpayer expense.
"Although I am incredibly grateful, it feels as if they are trying to buy my silence," the intern related in an email sent to her university, describing her interactions with director of legislative administration Connie Ridley.
"After coming forward, I was implored by director Ridley not to communicate about the instances with anyone."
Ridley has declined to comment on the situation, citing a policy requiring complete confidentiality for the sexual harassment complaint process.
According to the intern's account, she was given $935 in cash — $850 to cover the loss of her rental deposit and $85 to cover three days of prorated rent at Capitol Towers.
The intern has said she was told that the person supplying the cash would be reimbursed by the state.
In addition, NewsChannel 5 Investigates obtained receipts showing payments totaling $5,411.76 for a 22-day stay at the TownPlace Suites near the Tennessee state Capitol, including $42 a day for parking.
We also obtained a receipt for $2,495 paid to Two Men and a Truck to move the intern's furniture out of the apartment and back to her home in another part of the state.
The moving receipt indicates that Connie Ridley provided the credit card for those expenses; it's not clear who provided the credit card for the hotel stay.
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Tori Venable, state director for the low-tax group Americans for Prosperity, questioned whether there might not be other expenses that legislative officials are hiding.
"I'm surprised it's not more," Venable told NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
"I think if you keep digging, you'll probably find additional expenses that were covered by taxpayers to hide this from taxpayers."
Whatever the number, Venable argued that taxpayers should not be on the hook for Campbell's misdeeds. Campbell was found to have violated the legislature's sexual harassment policy in a secret process by an ethics subcommittee.
He resigned about six hours after NewsChannel 5 Investigates confronted him with details of the case.
"There is no reason that taxpayers should pay for this -- none at all," Venable said.
"If you make the bad decision or you have a bad act, then you should pay the consequences and the consequences monetarily that go along with it. Just because you are part of the government, you shouldn't be shielded."
House Speaker Cameron Sexton has denied knowing anything about the payments, suggesting they were approved by the ethics subcommittee, which is made up of two Republicans and two Democrats.
One of them, Rep. Bill Beck, D-Nashville, previously passed a law to make government agencies' sexual harassment settlements public.
"Somebody had to sign the check, and that should be easy enough to find," Venable responded.
Even more potentially disturbing, the intern's email says she was told "that some version of this happens almost every year to an intern and that they rarely come forward or are silenced if they do."
Venable said that is reason for taxpayers to be even more concerned.
"If this has been happening over and over again throughout the years, is there some kind of legislative slush fund — because I don't see it in the state budget. How are they paying people off to keep them quiet?"
NewsChannel 5 is withholding the name, exact age and university of the victim in the sexual harassment investigation to protect her identity.
In response, the House Democratic Caucus released this statement:
"The GOP supermajority believes in accountability for everyone — except themselves. Now, we learn they reportedly spent thousands of taxpayer dollars as a direct result of another embarrassing scandal involving a member of their leadership team.
"Questions still requiring answers are: Who authorized these expenditures? Why were they not disclosed earlier? Were appropriate steps taken to protect the victim from further harm? Would earlier public disclosure of the conduct have better protected the victim and/or other women from exposure to a known threat to their safety?
"Tennesseans deserve a full explanation of this latest abuse of power."
SPECIAL SECTION: Revealed
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