Tennessee representative continues business with shadowy campaign vendor amid investigations

In spite of a federal probe into Tennessee House corruption, Republican condition Rep. Todd Warner continued carrying out company with an Alabama campaign vendor joined to two other entities caught up in FBI and state investigations.

Warner, a Chapel Hill Republican looking for re-election to a second phrase, acquired more than $6,000 in advertising and marketing expert services this February from Dixieland Procedures, according to his filing with the state Registry of Election Finance.

Questioned Wednesday why he sought the expert services of Dixieland Strategies once again, Warner claimed, “They performed me a terrific occupation (sic).”

He mentioned he did absolutely nothing wrong in selecting Dixieland yet again and generated a mailer exhibiting off their do the job.

Williamson County Commissioner Jeff Ford of Spring Hill a short while ago declared he is jogging for election as a Republican in Home District 92. Recently-aligned House districts put Spring Hill into District 92, placing up the race pitting Warner from Ford.

Warner declined to identify whom he offers with or no matter if Dixieland Procedures is run by Cade Cothren, the ex-chief of personnel for former Home Speaker Glen Casada, who is now seeking election to the Williamson County clerk’s post.

But Dixieland Tactics employs the same pre-sorted postal code out of Chattanooga, 383, as two other shadowy entities that popped up in late 2019, Phoenix Solutions and the Religion Household Flexibility Fund political action committee. Religion Family Liberty Fund used that postal code in Warner’s most up-to-date marketing campaign mailers.

Previous state Rep. Robin Smith pleaded guilty in March to a federal wire fraud cost that thorough how Cothren established up a phony New Mexico-primarily based firm identified as Phoenix Solutions to retain lawmakers from obtaining out he was running the seller. Smith and Casada pressured Republicans to do additional than $200,000 really worth of small business with Phoenix Methods, purportedly run by “Matthew Phoenix,” in return for kickbacks. Casada and Cothren have not been indicted.

Phoenix Answers operated equally to the Faith Relatives Liberty Fund political action committee and Dixieland Tactics, set up by way of an out-of-point out PostNet box. Dixieland has a mailing tackle of 3331 Rainbow Drive Suite E, Rainbow Metropolis, Alabama, which is the location for a PostNet company.

A previous girlfriend of Cothren’s instructed the Tennessee Registry of Election that he persuaded her to established up the Faith Family Freedom Fund PAC and serve as treasurer so he could operate it. Cothren also told her not to converse to Registry personnel who termed her inquiring about her participation in the PAC’s formation. Her sister was the chairman of the business.

Faith Relatives Independence Fund utilised a donation from a North Carolina cafe proprietor – not able to be located by the Registry – for its seed cash to spend for assault advertisements versus former Republican Rep. Rick Tillis, who lost to Warner in the 2020 election. Tillis employed an nameless Twitter account to criticize Casada and Cothren in the operate-up to Casada’s resignation amid a racist and sexist texting scandal involving Cothren.

In the long run, Casada resigned in August 2019 soon after the Home Republican Caucus gave him a vote of no self confidence. Dwelling Speaker Cameron Sexton then was elected to serve during a exclusive session.

The Registry of Election Finance audited Warner’s campaign funds, which includes his expenses with Dixieland Techniques, in 2021 immediately after a Tillis campaign employee submitted a grievance alleging unlawful coordination amongst Warner’s campaign and the Faith Family Liberty Fund.

The Registry dismissed the make any difference in November 2021 following Warner was in a position to show in which he compensated the vendor and received the expert services.

Warner, even so, was under investigation, together with Smith and Casada, just after FBI agents raided their properties and legislative offices in January 2021. On the assistance of his attorney, Warner has declined to talk about the raid and investigation.

(Read More: Tennessee ethics invoice developed to clamp down on legislative corruption still in works)

The Registry board subpoenaed several legislators, including Warner and Casada, to testify about what they know of the Religion Family members Independence Fund in March. Casada claimed he knew absolutely nothing about the entity, and he previously explained to the Tennessee Lookout he had no link to Phoenix Alternatives, while Smith’s responsible plea document reveals he realized about the firm’s setup and took kickbacks.

Cothren refused to testify in advance of the Registry, invoking his Fifth Amendment appropriate to not incriminate himself, and criticized the subpoena in a letter from his lawyer.

The Registry just lately turned the overall matter around to the Williamson County District Attorney’s Workplace for an investigation into likely prison penalties.

Irrespective of Warner’s conclusion to preserve executing business enterprise with Dixieland Methods, little about the entity can be uncovered.

The Alabama secretary of state’s internet site has no registration for the company, nor does Tennessee’s site.

Phoenix Remedies, in distinction, submitted a certificate of business in November 2019 in New Mexico and a number of times afterwards in Tennessee, according to stories.

No matter whether Dixieland Approaches is expected to file in Tennessee could count on how it was arranged, as a sole proprietor or limited legal responsibility business.

(Browse Far more: Tennessee election registry would like lawyer normal to enforce subpoena on previous Dwelling aide)

In accordance to the Lawyer General’s Business office, a “international” corporation, 1 that is not integrated below the Tennessee For-Income Organization Company Act, is necessary to receive a certification of authority from the secretary of point out in advance of “transacting business enterprise” in the state. Some pursuits are excluded, these types of as managing legal perform, holding board conferences, sustaining bank accounts, promoting objects through independent contractors and soliciting orders by mail. None of the objects mentioned in point out legislation surface to include campaign perform.

Greg Hazelwood, a Nashville resident who did volunteer perform for Tillis in 2020, complained to the Registry board that Dixieland Procedures had no “business enterprise footprint” simply because he could not come across a physical locale, mobile phone quantity or other details showing it existed.

His complaint also contended Warner, as a result of Dixieland Tactics, and Faith Family members Freedom Fund violated marketing campaign finance regulations when they despatched out political flyers with the very same postal code on the similar day.

Examine additional at TennesseeLookout.com.