Nashville News Blog

As the House Ethics Committee wrangles over whether to hear a complaint against House Speaker Kent Williams, Rep. Susan Lynn--the woman he's accused of sexually harassing--is so stressed out she checked herself into the hospital. That's according to Rep. Brian Kelsey, the Republican bomb-thrower who filed the ethics charge against Williams.

Lynn's office workers, however, say that if she's in the hospital, they don't know it. They just told Pith they thought she didn't show up at the Capitol this morning because of the snow. Lynn has been giving media interviews virtually nonstop for the past few days. But you just never know when your nerves are going to act up.

Update: House GOP flack Kara Watkins says Lynn did go to the hospital "to have some tests run," but Watkins doesn't know what's wrong with Lynn.

The ethics committee met briefly this morning, with Democrats immediately angling to dismiss the complaint. They claim it's improperly before the committee, which has never heard a sexual harassment complaint before. That didn't seem to satisfy Republicans, who want to hear witnesses.

"Are there avenues to resolve this?" committee chair Ulysses Jones asked, straining to look concerned.

Kelsey popped up in the hearing room to try to speak. "I've got an avenue," he shouted. "You're not recognized," Jones shot back, banging his gavel.

"We're in uncharted waters right now," House Democratic leader Gary Odom said before the committee recessed until this afternoon.

Kelsey immediately accused Democrats of a cover-up. Here's some of what he told reporters:

"This is a complaint about sexual harassment and about lying to cover it up. Clearly this committee came in here with the idea that they are going to cover up this whole issue and not even investigate this. It's really absurd." ...

"I don't know where this committee is going right now, but if they came in here not ready to investigate it then that's the wrong attitude to have when you've got serious allegations of sexual harassment and of lying about it to the public." ...

"I came here ready to have a hearing. We've got several members who were witnesses to this. To deny them the opportunity to comment on this is a travesty. The reason Representative Lynn is not here is that she had major feelings of stress this morning and she is in the hospital and unable to make it here. This is a serious charge. This is not a joking matter."