Complaint Claims Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada Violated Campaign Laws

A complaint against House Speaker Glen Casada was filed Thursday with the Nashville District Attorney.

A local activist said Casada’s political action committee broke a state election law in 2018.

Emily Tseffos, with the group Enough is Enough Tennessee, submitted the filing. She said Casada’s political fundraising group paid for Facebook ads supporting Republican David Byrd, R-Waynesboro, but did not disclose they were behind social media campaign.

Byrd has been accused of sexual misconduct with three underage girls in the 1980s, when he was a high school basketball coach.

Tseffos told WPLN she wants prosecutors to look into whether Casada’s PAC violated campaign laws.

“In a world where Speaker Casada continues to skirt the law, we really want him to be held accountable, because this kind of transparency matters,” Tseffos said. 

Casada called the accusations “frivolous.”

“Facebook’s rules require disclaimers for all political advertising, and the CAS-PAC digital team has adhered to all requirements. Facebook disallows any advertising that does not include a disclaimer,” he said in a statement.

The ads were created by Michael Lotfi, a political consultant working for Casada’s PAC.

Lotfi was also hired by Casada as a top aide in January. NewsChannel5 reported he was getting $4,000 a month for a job without clear duties or a requirement that he appear at the capitol.

He resigned from that position on Wednesday.