Tom Lawless Threatens Conservative Group With TBI & Is Accused Of Weaponization By Fellow Campaign Finance Board Member

Image Credit: tn.gov

The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –

Last week, Sumner County Constitutional Republicans (SCCR) was cleared of financial wrongdoing after a complaint alleged illegal PAC activity, but Tennessee Registry of Election Finance (TREF) board member Tom Lawless appears to be continuing his targeted efforts against conservative groups and individuals while protecting establishment players.  

Lawless, the state Senate Republican Caucus appointee, has been the driving force in multiple investigations into candidates and conservative groups and in this latest instance appears to present an idea so outrageous it merited some rebuke from his colleagues on the board.  

During the board meeting from the September 24^th hearing regarding SCCR, video record shows Lawless attempting to persuade the board to refer the case to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), despite the Attorney General’s office previously declining to investigate and other board members expressing hesitation to even assess civil penalties against SCCR.

Lawless suggests, “I would probably be happier if it got dumped into the lap of, not the Attorney General because they won’t do anything, but I’d say dump it in the lap of the TBI and say, ‘You guys go after them and figure out whether they’ve done A, B, C, and D, and if they have deal with it.’” He offers an alternative to give SCCR time to register as a PAC, but emphasizes, “Really, I’d rather dump it into the TBI.”

Board Chairman Henry Fincher responds, “There’s nothing remotely criminal here,” indicating the TBI would not have jurisdiction over this matter.

But Lawless interjects, “Well, not necessarily. They were under oath. If what they were saying isn’t accurate… we’ll just leave it at that,” implying that SCCR representation was untruthful in their testimony and should be criminally charged, despite being praised by other members for their “good faith” and willingness to cooperate through the investigation.

During his comments, board member William (Paz) Haynes bluntly uses the term “weaponization” to describe Lawless’ apparent threat to escalate the case to the TBI and offers some light rebuke. “One thing that, it’s almost been an iron law for us, that we will not directly or indirectly, or we will not be seen as a weaponizing body, or we will not even create the appearance of being seen as a weaponizing body, and so I don’t think there’s enough cause that’s been shown on that front,” referring to the supposed evidence presented in the complaint against SCCR. 

Member David Golden also expressed his reluctance to act as more than an interpretive body, “I don’t think we are tasked with putting ourselves in the same space as the [Tennessee] Supreme Court or a judge, that’s also not what we’re asked to do. We’re asked to look at the plain language of the statute and the [regulations]. I disagreed with Tom on the TBI thing.”  

Though she did not directly refer to the TBI, Democrat Paige Burcham Dennis agreed with Lawless. “I feel there needs to be an investigation made that we’re not in charge of necessarily, and I tend to go with Tom, that someone else needs to be in charge of that investigation. It’s something that clears the air so that no one actually gets in trouble. So, I tend to lean with Tom on his opinion on this that we should turn it over and have another entity look at it.”

For Tennesseans relying on TREF to accurately interpret election financial regulations and keep dirty players accountable, it appears that some of its appointed members carry little interest in objectively performing their duties, instead reverting to lawfare tactics to protect the establishment and pursue advocates of conservative values. 

Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.