D.D. 06/30/05

Chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party Bob Davis asked Rep. Chris Newton, the only Republican charged in the Tennessee Waltz investigation to step down from his State House seat, according to the Associated Press. Bobby Wood, Hamilton County GOP chairman, said he agrees with Davis’ request. Newton was once an intern for Wood. "I think that Republicans have always been held to a higher standard in the public eye," Wood said. "I think that he is bringing a cloud over the system and his colleagues." Davis, in his letter to Newton, said he is not judging Newton’s guilt and urged the lawmaker to clear his name and return to politics later.