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A Tennessee Republican Accused of Sexual Misconduct With Underage Girls Just Said He Isn't Running A
Source: Mother Jones
A Tennessee Republican Accused of Sexual Misconduct With Underage Girls Just Said He Isn’t Running Again
Mother Jones investigated his case last year.
BECCA ANDREWS
Assistant News Editor
Tennessee state Rep. David Byrd, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women who were underage at the time, quietly told his Republican colleagues in the state House that he would not seek reelection next year due to the controversy. In his comments, made during a closed-door caucus meeting, he also reportedly insisted he would not be stepping down.
I wrote about the case against Byrd late last year, not long after he had won election in a landslide, despite common knowledge of the allegations and a recorded conversation between him and one of his accusers in which he apologizes to her. (He does not specify what he is apologizing for in the recording.) Byrd did not respond to requests for comment when I was writing that story and, as I explained then, he “has not exactly denied the allegations against him; rather, he emphasizes repeatedly that they are from more than 30 years ago.”
As the Tennessean reported Friday:
-snip-
Mother Jones investigated his case last year.
BECCA ANDREWS
Assistant News Editor
Tennessee state Rep. David Byrd, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women who were underage at the time, quietly told his Republican colleagues in the state House that he would not seek reelection next year due to the controversy. In his comments, made during a closed-door caucus meeting, he also reportedly insisted he would not be stepping down.
I wrote about the case against Byrd late last year, not long after he had won election in a landslide, despite common knowledge of the allegations and a recorded conversation between him and one of his accusers in which he apologizes to her. (He does not specify what he is apologizing for in the recording.) Byrd did not respond to requests for comment when I was writing that story and, as I explained then, he “has not exactly denied the allegations against him; rather, he emphasizes repeatedly that they are from more than 30 years ago.”
As the Tennessean reported Friday:
Speaking to his colleagues, Byrd addressed the protests he has faced, which he said were led by out-of-state actors, while touting last year’s election results.
He criticized Enough is Enough, a political action committee that formed in 2018 that has focused its attention on Byrd this year, and the “liberal media.”
Byrd also gave a warning to his colleagues—if he were to be expelled or not seek reelection, his critics would win and could result in other GOP lawmakers being targeted.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/08/tennessee-david-byrd-sexual-misconduct-will-not-seek-reelection/
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Note: I first encountered this story at the Associated Press, which does not mention Rep. Byrd's party affiliation anywhere.
