MEMPHIS, Tenn.– A Tennessee senate committee found probable cause to remove Sen. Katrina Robinson from office Thursday following her conviction in a federal wire fraud case.
Sen. Katrina Robinson’s future in office is question nearly two weeks after being acquitted on two charges.
Robinson (D-Memphis) is appearing before the Senate Ethics Committee after two complaints were filed against her after she was indicted by a grand jury.
Robinson was accused of using federal funds meant for The Healthcare Institute, a nursing school in Cordova, for personal wedding expenses. A jury found her guilty of four counts and not guilty on one.
The committee’s role is to decide if Robinson violated the code of ethics when charges were brought against her.
“We are not a court of law. We are not here to determine if a member is guilty of a crime, but rather to protect the integrity and the reputation of the senate. Therefore, the rules of court do not apply to this hearing,” said Sen. Ferrell Haile, (R) Gallatin.
The committee decided those charges violated the code of ethics in a 4-1 vote and now she faces expulsion.
“For me to sit in front of the ethics committee today is total display of unfairness, discrimination,” said Robinson.
Robinson still has two counts that are yet to be decided by a judge.
No date has been set for when the full senate will meet to decide Robinson future in office.
