NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville mayoral candidate Alice Rolli says she's fired a key member of her campaign team for having ties to a far-right militia group.
NewsChannel 5's partners at the Nashville Banner say consultant Woodrow Johnston organized protests among far-right Republicans to influence the 2020 election results in the state, expressing the need to "get the Proud Boys out."
Rolli says she fired Johnston, writing in an email to supporters, "Hatred has no place in Nashville. It has no place on my campaign."
But Johnston told Axios he resigned Saturday over differences on campaign strategy.
He says his firm "McShane" told her about the controversy in their first conversation and accused her of throwing him under the bus.
A Google search of his name pulls up his connection to the Proud Boys.
It's unclear what vetting process, if any, the Rolli campaign had.
She spent more than half her campaign funds for the firm's work, more than $215,000.
We reached out to both Rolli and Johnston for independent comment and have yet to hear back.
