Tennessee Democrats rebuke elected Republicans for support for U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais

photo Chip Forrester, Chairman of Tennessee Democratic Party.
Arkansas-Tennessee Live Blog

NASHVILLE - Tennessee Democrats say they sent a letter today to Gov. Bill Haslam and "every elected Republican" in the General Assembly "rebuking" them for the GOP's "continued support" of U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn.

Party Chairman Chip Forrester also challenged elected Republicans "to take action" in the wake of revelations that DesJarlais, a physician, had an affair a dozen years ago with a woman who had been his patient.

Calling the relationship "illicit" and a "crystal clear violation of his own medical code of ethics and Tennessee state law," Forrester says in the letter to Republicans that "you have yet to speak publicly against Rep. DesJarlais' embarrassing and shameful revelations, and not a single member of your party has denounced Rep. DesJarlais for breaking the law and violating his patient's trust.

In a statement, the 4th Congressional District congressman's campaign manager, Brandon Lewis, retorted "the Tennessee Democratic Party wants to elect a pro-choice, pro-Obamacare, pro-Obama, borrow and spend liberal using a 12-year-old smear campaign to distract from the resulting unemployment, exploding deficits, and rising healthcare costs that have been brought about by their party's policies."

That is a reference to Democrat Eric Stewart of Winchester who has attacked DesJarlais following the publication by the Huffington Post of a partial transcript from the physician's messy 2001 divorce.

In the transcript, DesJarlais is quoted encouraging the unnamed woman to get an abortion.

DesJarlais, who was first elected in 2010, has since said he was trying to get the woman to admit she really wasn't pregnant. He has said there was no pregnancy and no abortion

At the time he saw the woman, the congressman has said, he and his then-wife Susan were in the midst of a lengthy, bitter divorce and had agreed to see other people.

In a recent open letter to 4th District voters, DesJarlais asked voters to judge him in light of his 10-year-long subsequent marriage to Amy DesJarlais. He has also protested the impact of Democrats' assault on him on their children.

Upcoming Events