Tennessee has no shortage of political scandals. From wiretapping to sexual harassment, and even selling pardons for cash, these issues continue to shape our political landscape.
Today, we hear from WPLN Power and Equity Reporter Marianna Bacallao. She’ll update us on the recent wiretapping scandal involving the office of Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk. Next, we hear from authors Joel Ebert and Erik Schelzig, who recount years of abuses of political power at the state legislature in their book, “Welcome to Capitol Hill: Fifty Years of Scandal in Tennessee Politics.” And finally, Keel Hunt, author of “Coup,” tells the story of Democratic Tennessee Gov. Ray Blanton. In 1979, Blanton was removed from office three days early by an alliance of leaders from both political parties who sought to stop him from selling pardons for cash.
This episode was produced by Char Daston and Mary Mancini.
Guests:
- Marianna Bacallao, Power and Equity Reporter, WPLN News
- Joel Ebert, Co-author of “Welcome to Capitol Hill: Fifty Years of Scandal in Tennessee Politics”
- Erik Schelzig, Editor of Tennessee Journal, co-author of “Welcome to Capitol Hill: Fifty Years of Scandal in Tennessee Politics”
- Keel Hunt, Columnist for The Tennessean, author of “Coup: The Day the Democrats Ousted Their Governor, Put Republican Lamar Alexander in Office Early, and Stopped a Pardon Scandal”
Further Reading and Listening
WPLN | Nashville’s DA secretly recorded defense attorneys, investigation finds. Tennessee’s AG won’t prosecute
NashVillager Podcast | Fallout from a major scandal
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM