NASHVILLE — House Ethics Committee members were told this morning by a legislative attorney that a complaint against newly elected House Speaker Kent Williams, which are based on 2007 allegations of sexual harassment, are “not properly before” them.

“Allegations of sexual harassment have never been resolved by the House Ethics Committee,” attorney Doug Himes told the 12-member panel, comprised of six Democrats and six Republicans.

Mr. Himes said such a complaint should be taken to the state’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. He also cited House rules that mandate sexual harassment allegations be kept confidential.

Democrats and Republicans argued about whether the complaint by Rep. Brian Kelsey, R-Germantown, was properly before them and how to proceed.

"Clearly this committee came in here with an idea they were going to cover up this whole issue and not even investigate," Rep. Kelsey said.

“We are in uncharted waters here,” said House Minority Leader Gary Odom, D-Nashville. “Whatever we do as an ethics committee will be treated as a precedent.”

Rep. Kelsey’s complaint is one of several actions Republicans have taken in recent days since Rep. Williams, R-Elizabethon, on Jan. 13 upset GOP ambitions for taking control of the House by joining with all 49 Democrats to elect himself speaker in a 50-49 vote over Majority Leader Jason Mumpower, R-Bristol.

Days later, Rep. Mumpower released at news organizations’ request a 2007 memo he wrote detailing informal allegations against Rep. Williams by Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet. Rep. Lynn contended that Rep. Williams harassed her on two occasions, allegedly offering her a week’s salary at one point to see her “naked.”

Rep. Williams said while the General Assembly’s privacy policy bans him from discussing case specifics, “I have never harassed anyone in my life.”

Rep. Lynn has said the allegations outlined in the memo are accurate but that she never intended for them to be made public. She has questioned why Rep. Williams, whom the memo says apologized twice to her, has denied what happened.

“This is a complaint about sexual harassment and lying to cover it up,” Rep. Kelsey told reporters after the panel was adjourned until 2 p.m. EST. “It’s bad enough to go ahead and tell someone that you’d give a week’s pay to see them naked. It’s even worse to then go and spit in that victim’s face by lying about it and saying it never happened.”

Rep. Kelsey said Rep. Lynn had been hospitalized today because of stress. Rep. Lynn’s secretary told reporters she did not know where she was.

For complete details, see tomorrow’s Times Free Press.