MEMPHIS, Tenn.– The Senate Committee has found probable cause for the removal of Sen. Katrina Robinson from her position following her federal convictions.
UPDATE: The Ethics Committee has voted 4 to 1 to move forward with a Senate hearing to determine whether or not Sen. Robinson’s action constitute an ethics violation. Sen. Jack Johnson on the Ethics Committee recommended expulsion.
Lieutenant Governor McNally said in a statement, “The Senate Ethics Committee conducted a fair and deliberative hearing on the complaints against Senator Robinson. They considered not only her explicit legal status but also the ethical and moral failings indicative in the charges against her. The committee found the charges against her violate the Code of Ethics of the Senate and require expulsion. The removal of a Senator under these circumstances is a very serious and historically unprecedented step. This is not something we consider lightly. I continue to hope Senator Robinson will reflect on the findings of the committee and choose to step down voluntarily in the best interest of the Senate.”
“The Senate Ethics Committee found probable cause for the removal of Senator Katrina Robinson as a member of the Senate. The purpose of Thursday’s meeting is for the committee to further discuss the charges against her and her criminal conviction, allow her to present a defense and to decide whether to issue a formal recommendation to the full Senate on the matter,” said Director of Communications Adam Kleinheider.
This announcement comes after Judge Sheryl Lipman acquitted Robinson on Jan. 7 on two charges after her conviction in a federal wire fraud case last year.
Robinson (D-Memphis) originally faced 20 counts after she was accused of using federal funds meant for The Healthcare Institute, a nursing school in Cordova, for personal wedding expenses.
A judge dismissed 15 of those counts before a jury in September ultimately found her guilty on four counts, and not guilty on one.
