NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A former Republican operative said federal prosecutors may indict him for cyberstalking in conjunction with online attacks aimed at Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton.
In a lengthy post Thursday on X (formerly Twitter), Cade Cothren — who served as chief of staff to former House Speaker Glen Casada — claims he has been targeted because he exercised his First Amendment right "to speak out about matters of public concern."
Sexton is expected to be a witness against Cothren and Casada when they go on trial on federal fraud charges in April.
"The federal government is claiming that an elected official — the Tennessee Speaker of the House — is a ‘victim’ of cyberstalking because members of the public dared to comment on alleged wrongdoing that he may still be engaged in to this very day," the post said.
Cothren and Casada were indicted in August 2022, accused of setting up a shell company to hide their involvement in a consulting firm that got contracts to do political mailings on behalf of the Tennessee House Republican Caucus, as well as non-political mailings for the Tennessee General Assembly.
Both men have pleaded not guilty, and they have argued in subsequent motions that there was no harm done to the caucus nor the state because their company did the work it was paid to do.
Nearly three years ago, a swarm of heavily armed federal agents arrived at my door, battering rams in hand, to arrest me following an indictment.
— Cade Cothren (@CadeCothren) February 6, 2025
I told News Channel 5’s Phil Williams that same day: “The truth will come out.”
Since then, the federal government has used every…
In early 2024, according to court filings, FBI agents seized electronic devices belonging to Cothren, as well as disbarred Nashville attorney Brian Manookian and GOP political activist Larry (Chuck) Grimes.
Grimes was long suspected of being behind an anonymous Twitter account that routinely lambasted Sexton. Manookian was also harshly critical of the House speaker.
Neither has commented on the investigation.
"The federal government is choosing to ignore clear and well-documented corruption at the highest levels of Tennessee’s government while aggressively using its resources to prosecute citizens who have dared to speak out," Cothren's post continued.
"For three years, my life has been on hold. Three years of lost moments. Three years of stolen time with the people I love. Not in pursuit of justice. Not to right a wrong. But to do the bidding of a man who is now positioning himself for higher office — further insulating himself from accountability for his actions."
Cothren said the federal government "may once again attempt to mischaracterize my words — to twist free speech into ‘harassment’ and the pursuit of facts into ‘obstruction.’"
"So let me be unmistakably clear: This is not intimidation. It is not harassment. It is not obstruction. It is not a threat," the post continued.
"This is the truth — protected by the First Amendment — and I will never apologize for speaking it. I will not be intimidated. I will not be silenced. The truth will continue to come out. And as it does, those who have built their power on lies will no longer be able to hide from it."
Cothren could not be reached for comment. Sexton has routinely declined to comment on any of Cothren’s claims, noting that he is expected to testify when the fraud case goes to trial.
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