Why did Tennessee State Senator Paul Stanley resign?
State Sen. Paul Stanley resigned from the legislature Tuesday, telling a Memphis radio station that he stood by his socially conservative record despite the sex-and-extortion scandal that forced him from office. Stanley, a Republican from the Memphis suburb of Germantown, will leave office effective Aug. 10, a date he said was picked to give him enough time to wind down constituent business. Stanley was chairman of the Senate’s Commerce, Labor and Agriculture Committee. The announcement comes more than a week after a court hearing in Nashville named Stanley as the victim in an reported extortion plot that centered on nude photos of McKensie Morrison, a 22-year-old Austin Peay student who interned in his office. Stanley acknowledged in an interview with WREC radio host Ben Ferguson that he had an affair. He also defended statements he had made condemning sex outside of marriage and a legislative record that included backing a ban on adoptions by unmarried couples. “Whatever I stood for
Disgraced Sen. Paul Stanley publicly told his friend talk host Ben Ferguson over WREC radio in Memphis that he has decided jointly with his wife Kristi to resign his Senate seat Aug. 10. About the same time, Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey released Stanley’s letter of resignation. Podcast: Sen. Stanley resigns “We decided the best thing for me to do is just resign,” the senator said to the radio audience, referring to his wife’s role in his decision. Stanley took the high road, declining to blame the culture at the Capitol for his downfall, “The legislature is full of really good people who do really good things. There are good people up there. Some fall and when they do, they need to ask forgiveness. If you start clearing the Legislature of people who sinned you are going to have a big empty chamber up there. “I believe I have contributed a lot to the Legislature,” the senator said. “I encourage people to stay involved.” Most callers who phoned in to the conservative talk radio show after the int
