TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

State Sen. Brian Kelsey, Others Indicted in Campaign Finance Conspiracy

Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Oct 25, 2021

Tennessee Sen. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, the owner of a private Nashville social club, and other unnamed co-conspirators were indicted today by a federal grand jury, the Tennessean reports. Kelsey and Joshua Smith, owner of The Standard, were charged with five counts of violating multiple campaign finance laws as part of a conspiracy to benefit Kelsey’s 2016 campaign for Congress. The pair are accused of secretly and illegally funneling "soft money" from Kelsey's state campaign committee to his federal campaign committee via the D.C.-based American Conservative Union. Kelsey is also accused of making and accepting excessive contributions to his federal campaign. While only Kelsey and Smith are named in the indictment, several others are described by their jobs and relationships to the two, including former Rep. Jeremy Durham and Kelsey's wife. At a news conference today, Kelsey called the charges "a political witch hunt.” Smith said a political action committee created in the club’s name gave $60,000 to “a political organization” but the PAC was dissolved in 2018. He also said he is cooperating with the investigation. Both men must surrender to the U.S. Marshals by Nov. 5 at 10 a.m. CDT.

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