Rose calls on Blackburn to release details of Senate investigation

NASHVILLE — U.S. Rep. and gubernatorial candidate John Rose, R-Tenn., is calling on his opponent, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., to release the findings of a senate probe conducted to determine whether Blackburn used taxpayer funds for her campaign. Blackburn was investigated last year by the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics, an inquiry which was previously confidential to the public. In a letter sent to Blackburn, Rose stated that the senator's office had previously said the matter was resolved. But the basis for and conclusions of the investigation are still unknown. According to reports, the investigators were looking at whether Blackburn's Senate staff members were pressured to engage in political activities connected to Blackburn's campaign. Senate staff members, all paid by taxpayer dollars, are allowed to volunteer on Senate campaigns but may not do so while on the clock, or as a result of coercion. Rose called on his opponent to release all documents pertaining to the inquiry "to the fullest extent permitted under Senate rules." His letter was sent the day before early voting began for the Republican primary for governor. "I believe the public would benefit from understanding how the Committee reached its conclusion," Rose wrote. "Transparency regarding the Committee's final disposition would help strengthen public confidence in both your office and the Senate's ethics process." Polls showed Blackburn with a sizable 53-point lead in May, a lead that has since shrunk to varying degrees depending on who you ask. Rose touted an internal poll showing him within 15 points of the frontrunner, while Blackburn's polls show a 31-point lead. Blackburn's office did not immediately respond to Six Rivers Media's request for comment.