Judge: Tennessee lawmaker can’t withdraw guilty plea on campaign finance charges

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge has declined to let a former Tennessee state senator withdraw his guilty plea on federal campaign finance charges. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw in Nashville declined the request by former Republican Sen. Brian Kelsey. Kelsey’s attorneys had argued he should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea because he entered it with an “unsure heart and a confused mind.” His father was dying of pancreatic cancer and he and his wife were caring for their newborn twins. Crenshaw said that those stressors are not sufficient to allow the reversal of his plea. In November, Kelsey pleaded guilty to two charges related to his failed 2016 congressional campaign.