GOP-led Tennessee Senate expels Democrat convicted of fraud

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and JONATHAN MATTISE
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The Republican-led Tennessee Senate voted Wednesday to remove Democratic Sen. Katrina Robinson from office because of her recent wire fraud conviction.

It’s the first time the chamber has removed a senator since at least the Civil War.

Prosecutors accused the Memphis lawmaker of paying personal expenses from more than $600,000 in federal grant money awarded to a school for health care workers she operated.

She was ultimately found guilty of two of the 20 counts, involving $3,400 in wedding expenses in 2016.

Robinson has maintained her innocence.

The Black woman said the 27-5 vote by the white-majority chamber was a “procedural lynching.”

(Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.)