Senator Brian Kelsey To Plead Guilty In Federal Campaign Finance Case
Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov & Peggy Anderson / CC
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
According to court filings, Senator Brian Kelsey (R-District 31-Germantown) is slated to plead guilty to federal campaign finance violations that took place during his failed 2016 congressional campaign.
Kelsey’s attorneys filed documents in federal court last Thursday to request a hearing in order to change their client’s non-guilty plea to guilty.
Kelsey, along with Joshua Smith, owner of the The Standard Club, an upscale restaurant in downtown Nashville, were charged with funneling funds in excess of $90,000 from his state account to his 2016 congressional campaign through the social club’s political action committee and then to the American Conservative Union, which bought independent ads supporting Kelsey’s run.
Kelsey’s switch to a guilty plea came after co-defendant Joshua Smith plead guilty to a single charge of funneling “soft money” to the campaign, according to court documents. Smith is set for sentencing in June of 2023.
Federal prosecutors claim that Kelsey gave Smith a check in the amount of $103,000 in July of 2016 as a transfer from his campaign account to The Standard Club’s PAC.
According to prosecutors, the funds were also filtered through the Citizens 4 Ethics in Government PAC and finally to the American Conservative Union.
Up until last week, Kelsey maintained his innocence and had previously said he was being targeted for his conservative political views.
When he addressed the Senate during the Special Session to address Medical Freedoms, Kelsey stated that he was “totally innocent” and said he looked forward to clearing his name.
According to reports, former state representative Jeremy Durham, a Republican from Franklin, was offered immunity from indictment as a co-conspirator in exchange for talking with federal prosecutors.
The Tennessee Lookout obtained a copy of Durham’s subpoena, which required him to provide copies of all documents and records related to Kelsey, Kelsey’s wife, Amanda Bunning, who worked for the American Conservative Union at the time, Jessica Durham, Josh Smith, Andrew “Andy” Miller, Zach Crandell, Matt Schlapp of the American Conservative Union, and several other people and organizations believed to be connected to the scheme. He was also required to turn in all records related to the transfer of funds between several entities and the Standard Club PAC.
In the indictment, Bunning, who later married Kelsey, is listed as a person who received information from the senator and passed it on to those that handled ACU’s advertising.
Prior to his switch to a guilty plea, Kelsey was already not seeking re-election to office this year.
Also prior to the plea flip, Kelsey’s trial was slated for January 2023. It is unclear whether that trial date will hold with the new guilty plea or if a new trial date will be set.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
