Trump Pardons Former Tennessee House Speaker, Ex-Chief of Staff

Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff were scheduled to begin their prison sentences later this month.

Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada arrives at the federal courthouse in Nashville, Tenn., on May 9, 2025. George Walker IV/AP Photo

President Donald Trump has pardoned former Tennessee House speaker Glen Casada and his ex-chief of staff, Cade Cothren, who were sentenced in September on public corruption convictions.

Casada, who resigned as speaker in 2019 following a no-confidence vote by fellow Republicans, was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted on 14 counts, including bribery, theft, wire fraud, and money laundering. He was initially found guilty on 17 of 19 counts, but was later acquitted on three counts.

Cothren was also convicted in the case and received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence. He was originally found guilty on all 19 counts, including conspiracy, money laundering, and bribery, but three charges were later dismissed by a federal judge.

The pair had originally been scheduled to begin their prison sentences later this month.

A White House official told The Epoch Times by email on Nov. 7 that Trump has approved pardons for Casada and Cothren after it was found that the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Biden administration had “significantly over-prosecuted” the pair over “a minor issue involving constituent mailers.”

The official stated that the constituent mailers were billed at “competitive prices” and no complaints were ever filed by legislators. The case resulted in a net profit loss of less than $5,000, according to the official.

“The Biden DOJ responded with an armed raid, perp walk, and suggested sentences exceeding 10 years— penalties normally reserved for multimillion dollar fraudsters,” the official said.

Cothren’s attorney, Cynthia Sherwood, told The Epoch Times by email that Cothren was “on release pending his report date later this month” when the pardon was issued. Sherwood declined to comment further.

Casada’s attorney, Edward Yarbrough, said in an emailed statement that his client received a call from Trump on Nov. 6 informing him that he was granted a full pardon.

The case occurred while Casada represented Tennessee House District 63. Prosecutors alleged that Cothren launched a company called Phoenix Solution with the knowledge of Casada and then-State Rep. Robin Smith. The company was supposedly operated by a political consultant named Matthew Phoenix, who was later found to be a fictitious person.

The three were accused of secretly funneling money from the state of Tennessee to Phoenix Solutions. The DOJ stated that Phoenix Solutions and companies controlled by Cascada and Smith received nearly $52,000 from the state in 2020 through a mailer program.

Casada and Cothren were indicted in 2022, following Smith’s resignation and subsequent guilty plea to one charge. Smith was sentenced to eight months in prison last month.

In October, Trump commuted the prison sentence of former congressman George Santos, who represented New York’s Third Congressional District, after he served less than three months of a seven-year prison sentence for wire fraud and identity theft. He was released from prison on Oct. 17.

Santos was accused of inflating fundraising figures and falsifying donor names during the 2022 election cycle to qualify for funding and logistical support from the Republican National Committee. He was expelled from Congress in December 2023.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.