Copyright Newsweek
President Donald Trump pardoning the former Tennessee House speaker and his former top aide just weeks after they were sentenced to prison on public corruption charges has sparked a backlash. Former Republican state Rep. Glen Casada was sentenced in September to three years in prison, while his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, was also convicted and received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. The case had centered on their actions after both were ousted from their leadership roles and were accused of running a scheme to win taxpayer-funded mail business from lawmakers. A White House official told the Associated Press and USA Today that the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Trump’s Democratic predecessor Joe Biden had “significantly over-prosecuted” both for a minor issue. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via an email sent outside regular business hours. On social media, many slammed the pardons with some saying that it demonstrates how Republican politicians can act with impunity under Trump. Why It Matters The pardons continue a pattern of Trump using his second term to bestow pardons on political allies, prominent public figures and others convicted of defrauding the public. They have reignited debate about presidential pardon power and accountability for public officials convicted of serious crimes. What To Know Prosecutors said Cothren founded a company called Phoenix Solutions with the knowledge and backing of Casada and then–Representative Robin Smith. They had claimed the firm was operated by “Matthew Phoenix,” a person who was later revealed to be fictitious. In 2020, companies tied to Casada and Smith received about $52,000 in taxpayer funds through a mailer program for lawmakers. A signature from the non-existent “Matthew Phoenix” appeared on an IRS tax document, and prosecutors said Casada’s then-girlfriend impersonated an associate of that fictitious person. It unfolded after Canada had already resigned as speaker in 2019 after a no-confidence vote by fellow Republicans due to multiple scandals, including revelations that he exchanged sexually explicit text messages about women with Cothren years ago. Cothren also left his post over those texts and racist texts, as well as the admission that he used cocaine inside a legislative office building during a previous job. The White House official said the case against Casada and Cothren involved constituent mailers, which were billed at competitive prices, and that the case was brought despite prosecutors not having received a complaint from legislators. The official said the scheme also resulted in a net profit loss of less than $5,000. The official said the "Biden DOJ responded with an armed raid, perp walk, and suggested sentences exceeding 10 years – penalties normally reserved for multimillion dollar fraudsters." It was Trump’s DOJ that initially prosecuted the men, with the FBI raiding their homes in the final days of Trump’s first term in January 2021, The Washington Post reported. The pardons for Casada and Cothren follow Trump’s previous pardon of Democratic former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and and Republican ex-Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, whose promising political career was upended by a corruption scandal and two federal prison stints. The president also pardoned former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, a New York Republican who resigned from Congress after a tax fraud conviction. Last month, he commuted the prison sentence of George Santos, the former Republican congressman who had been serving time for ripping off his campaign donors. What People Are Saying Former Republican state Rep. Glen Casada said in a text message to The Tennessee Journal: “It is good news. I’m just grateful to the president and his trust and understanding of my innocence. I can now get on with my life!” A White House official said, per USA Today: "The Biden Department of Justice significantly over-prosecuted these individuals for a minor issue involving constituent mailers -- which were billed at competitive prices, never received a complaint from legislators, and resulted in a net profit loss of less than $5,000. The Biden DOJ responded with an armed raid, perp walk, and suggested sentences exceeding 10 years – penalties normally reserved for multimillion dollar fraudsters." Tennessee State Representative Gloria Johnson, a Democrat, wrote on X: “Democrats can’t speak on the House floor, but Republicans can commit multiple felonies and walk free. Again, don’t let me hear “law and order” come out of your mouth GOP. Ever.” Ron Filipkowsi, the editor-in-chief of the liberal Meidas Touch outlet and a frequent Trump critic, wrote on X: “Republican politicians can commit all the crimes they want and victimize as many people as they want because right after they are convicted Trump pardons every single one of them. Every Republican politician is above the law and can do whatever they want. Total immunity.” In another X post, Filipkowski called for “a constitutional amendment to limit presidential pardon power even if it is only possible to pass it after Trump’s term. The founders obviously never envisioned any president using it this brazenly and corruptly while remaining impervious to impeachment.” Independent journalist Marcy Wheeler wrote on X: “Trump proving, once again, the GOP is the brand of abject corruption.” The Tennessee Holler, a progressive news site, wrote on X that the pardons were "more proof the law no longer applies to Republicans.” What Happens Next Next Trump’s acts of clemency are likely to continue to face scrutiny. This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
