Capitol Notebook: Impeachment, Cohen’s day in the spotlight and the annual Pork Report – The Tennessean
Impeachment drama in Washington and a Tennessee congressman’s day in the spotlight, plus what’s in the annual Port Report from the Beacon Center?
Here’s a look at some of the political news in Tennessee:
Impeachment and Cohen’s day in the spotlight
Predictably, viewpoints on the impeachment drama among Tennessee’s congressional delegation has fallen along party lines.
On Friday, the House judiciary committee, voted to send two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — to the full House. A vote is expected as early as this week.
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, is the only Tennessean on the committee and voted to advance both articles. He has long called for President Donald Trump’s impeachment and had his day in the spotlight this week.
“The proof is there. This is the most abusive act we can imagine — trying to influence our elections with foreign interference,” Cohen said during committee debate Thursday. “That takes power away from the American people. And that would end our country as we know it: a democracy, a shining city on the hill, a beacon of hope to people around the world who followed our revolution by changing their governments to give people the power, not kings.”
His lone Democratic colleague in the House from Tennessee, U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Nashville, earlier in the week said he would vote for impeachment.
The the GOP side, Tennessee’s Republicans have rallied to Trump’s defense.
“Democrats have presented no case for impeachment. There was no bribery, no quid pro quo, and no abuse of power,” U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Germantown, said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. John Rose, R-Cookeville, echoed those comments, as did other Tennessee Republicans.
“For three years, House Democrats have planned to impeach President Trump,” Rose said in a statement. “These Articles of Impeachment reflect a true disdain for President Trump and an irreverence for the impeachment process.”
On the Senate side, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, has been vocal in her denunciation of the impeachment inquiry. If the House impeaches Trump, she will serve as a juror in the Senate trial.
She called impeachment a Democratic obsession, a move that is “eroding our checks and balances.”
U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, has largely remained silent on the impeachment process unfolding in the House. He has issued no news releases this week on the issue or posted any statements on Twitter.
But after a groundbreaking for a new Tennessee Titans practice facility on Friday, Alexander reiterated that he felt the president’s telephone call with the Ukrainian president was inappropriate but impeachment would be a mistake, particularly with an election nearing.
“But if the House does send us articles of impeachment, we have a constitutional responsibility to hear the case, and I am prepared to do that,” he said.
What’s the pork like this year?
‘Tis the season for the Beacon Center of Tennessee’s Pork Report. The nonpartisan, conservative think-tank — more recently known for calling out the state on its $732 million reserve of unused TANF dollars — released its annual report last week on wasteful spending by state and local government.
Some of the highlights of this year’s report:
- The Pork of the Year award, which Beacon this year let the public vote on, was a $14.5 million renovation to Murfreesboro’s Richard Siegel Soccer Complex as city officials simultaneously raised property taxes by 36%. Beacon Center reports that Murfreesboro loses $150,000 each year on the complex, and it will take at least 127 years to pay off the debt.
- Graceland, Elvis Presley’s homeplace in Memphis, made veiled threats to somehow relocate if the city did not provide the business with $100 million in tax incentives. The city council ultimately approved $75 million in incentives.
- Nashville took $1.5 million from the school district’s budget to pay for the tax-increment financing, or TIF program, which provides tax dollars to developers.
- A new visitor center built at Reelfoot Lake cost $700,000 in federal and state money. The building had to be torn down, though, because as it turns out, it did not meet earthquake requirements.
Rep. David Bone; Congressman David Hawk
Tennessee’s U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn joined Gov. Bill Lee on rainy Friday afternoon groundbreaking for an expansion to during a groundbreaking at the Titans’ Saint Thomas Sports Park.
While an emcee went down the list of elected officials attending, as he got to Nashville’s members of the state House of Representatives, he announced the presence of Rep. David Bone. Despite carrying much of the workload for Democratic Rep. Bill Beck, Bone is a legislative assistant.
Meanwhile, Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville, is considering whether he might make a run for Congress. U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-Johnson City, announced last month he was still deciding whether he will retire and not run again.
Hawk this past week said after spending 17 years in the state legislature, the East Tennessee Republican would be crazy not at least mull the option.
What else you should check out
- It’s time to move the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust from Tennessee’s Capitol, GOP leader says
- Second member of House GOP leadership calls for Confederate bust removal
- Up to 2,500 Tennesseans could lose food stamp benefits under Trump rule change
- Indya Kincannon on Knoxville’s continued push for women in local leadership roles
- Why Raumesh Akbari endorses Joe Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination
- DMV wait times: Tennessee’s not alone. Here’s how other states are handling REAL ID crunch
Don’t miss
Our latest episode of Grand Divisions and an interview with Chris Walker, who is stepping down as Gov. Bill Lee‘s communications director.
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Got a tip or a story we should check out? Email us at statehouse@tennessean.com.
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Published 10:55 PM EST Dec 15, 2019
