MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee's Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) is considering moving for the removal of Shelby County's District Attorney Steve Mulroy, accusing the DA of "kowtowing to criminals."
No official move for removal has been made, but Sexton says he was planning on continuing discussions with Tennessee's Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to "seek remedies like removal from office."
Earlier this week, Mulroy announced he was working with a new diversionary program, that would put more emphasis on rehabilitative interventions for those without a violent record, including those charged with possession of a weapon when the felony itself is not inherently violent.
“It’s going to keep people out of prison who don’t really represent a threat to public safety and don’t belong in prison, make them less likely to reoffend because we’re getting them the rehabilitative interventions they need,” Mulroy said, as he was introducing the new program.
Yet Sexton responded to the program by calling Mulroy "soft on criminals."
"Mulroy’s decision to offer diversion to felons in possession of firearms is a serious misjudgment," Sexton said in a statement sent to ABC24. "His actions will make Memphis even more unsafe and is another step in kowtowing to criminals."
Mulroy on his part responded by saying that they continue to prosecute gun crimes, prosecuting felons for illegally possessing guns and favoring stiffer penalties for owning a Glock switch, but that the new program would offer alternatives for those without a significant criminal history or indication of violence where reformation is viable.
"I think the Speaker misunderstands what we’re doing here," Mulroy said. "We’ll be open, on a case by case basis, to still prosecute them, but choose alternatives to prison if they meet certain stringent requirements designed to rehabilitate them and keep them from reoffending."
Mulroy moved on to say those cases will still be prosecuted, refuting the idea that this rehabilitation program would make Memphis any less safer.
"The goal is to make us safer by making them less likely to come back into the system, while freeing up prosecutors’ time to focus on truly dangerous offenders who actually USE a weapon," Mulroy said.