Republican, Democrat team up to move harassment investigations to new liaison, attorney general

UPDATE: This article has been updated to reflect that all sexual harassment investigative documents and expense reports would be public records.

An unlikely House Democrat and Republican combo is joining efforts to move sexual harassment cases from control of the Legislature through a third-party liaison to the state Attorney General’s Office.

Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, and Rep. Todd Warner, R-Chapel Hill, announced in a joint press conference Monday they are sponsoring House Bill 2533, to “increase transparency” in House investigations involving accusations of the state’s workplace harassment and discrimination guidelines.

Their bill faces immediate difficulty because it will have an amendment filed after a House deadline when it is heard in a committee Tuesday.

Behn and Warner, though, contend their bill will “put victims first” and give the accused a fair hearing while shifting cases from “unbiased hands” and getting “rid of the politics.” The bill would create a “liaison” position to conduct probes and serve as go-between for the Legislature — where the director of Legislative Administration has been handling investigations — and the Attorney General’s Office.

Warner pointed out the Legislature has had at least one workplace harassment case each year for the past decade. He noted creating the liaison would “stop all the speculation behind the scenes.” The measure would send complaints filed in the Senate, House and elsewhere to the new office.

Said Behn, “We know, especially on the House side, it isn’t a transparent process right now.”

Behn, a liberal Democrat from East Nashville, and Warner, a conservative Republican from southern Middle Tennessee who voted against the House private-school voucher bill, said they came up with the idea after working on a podcast together. 

All documents related to complaints and investigations would be public records, Warner said Tuesday, updating his previous comments, meaning “no more sweeping things under the rug or falsifying personnel files or hiding things.” He added that the legislation is intended to ensure all expenses remain public as well.

The investigation process linked to the resignation of former Rep. Scotty Campbell came under criticism in 2023 after reports showed the state spent hundreds of dollars to move an intern allegedly harassed by Campbell.

Former state rep claims he was forced to resign amid harassment complaint

The former Mountain City lawmaker filed a public records lawsuit in February against the state saying he was forced out because of the workplace harassment complaint by House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison. Campbell’s lawsuit also claims Faison was believed to be conspiring with others to keep the media from finding out a similar complaint had been filed against him.

Campbell, who maintains he had consensual conversations with two women after work, claims he tried to defend himself by showing text messages to Connie Ridley, director of Legislative Administration, but she refused to discuss the matter. The former lawmaker claims public documents, if revealed, will help him prove his innocence.

A Workplace Discrimination & Harassment Subcommittee determined Campbell violated state policy, doing their work in secret and refusing to comment on their deliberation.

Campbell resigned April 20, 2023 and vacated the Capitol complex about two hours after telling the Lookout he would not step away from the Legislature. 

State documents in a separate open records lawsuit dealing with Campbell’s case contained notes dealing with an alleged victim complaint against Faison, according to a court ruling.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton has said publicly no complaint was filed against Faison, a Cosby Republican who has declined to comment on the matter.

Campbell, in his public records filing, “categorically denies that he violated” the state’s harassment policy.

The Attorney General’s Office has a history of investigating sexual harassment complaints, putting together the probe of former Rep. Jeremy Durham, who was ousted in 2016 for inappropriate conduct with 22 women working in the Legislature. That report was criticized because Capitol insiders could easily identify the victims.