NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Glen Casada has announced that he will step down as Tennessee's House Speaker on August 2nd. That's 73 days since announcing his intention to resign.
In a letter to lawmakers, he also asked that Governor Lee call a special session that day, during which the House will then elect a new Speaker.
Gov. Lee tweeted a statement in response to the letter saying, "Now that the Speaker has announced his intended timeline, we will continue to be in close communication with House leadership and members to determine the best outcome for the House and for Tennessee."
Speaker Pro Tem Bill Dunn responded to the news, telling NewsChannel 5 Investigates: “A month ago I advised him to step down, the day before the no-confidence vote I asked him to resign and today I told him he should resign today. He obviously doesn’t value my counsel.”
Tennessee Democratic Party Chair Mary Mancici said, "Every day that Glen Casada is in office is a slap in the face to women, communities of color, and all Tennesseans who expect real work and not lines of coke to be done at the state capitol. Democrats have been sounding the alarm since Casada's corruption began, and we'll continue to fight to restore accountability and decency to the Tennessee legislature."
Casada has been embattled in scandal over the last few weeks following multiple NewsChannel 5 Investigates stories which uncovered that the House Speaker had a sexually explicit text conversation with his former Chief of Staff and then lied about it. The FBI has also opened up an inquiry into whether Casada improperly tried to influence votes during the recent legislative session.
Between May 21 and August 2, Casada will take home an additional $14,600 of taxpayer money.
That date, August 2nd, is Casada's 60th birthday.
