Tennessee congressional candidate responds to allegations he sent unsolicited nude pics

A Republican congressional candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump dismissed accusations he sent nude pictures as “youthful indiscretions.”

In a story published Tuesday by the Nashville Scene, Sen. Brent Taylor stopped short of admitting to sending the pictures after more than one anonymous source said they had received or seen nude photos from him, including as recently as 2021. Taylor said he had been forgiven by his wife, Kimberly.

Asked Wednesday whether he sent nude pictures to anyone and, if so, whether they were unsolicited or consensual, Taylor told the Lookout by text he had “nothing relevant” to add to what he said in previous interviews.

But a Tennessee Democratic senator says she’s not surprised by allegations.

Sen. Charlane Oliver of Nashville, who sits behind Taylor on the Senate floor, said the accusations in the Nashville Scene report didn’t catch her off guard, considering how “crass” he is during meetings. 

The Scene published the article with only a week left before the Nov. 3 election in which Taylor is running against Democratic state Rep. Justin J. Pearson of Memphis for the newly-drawn 9th Congressional District seat.

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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s Ready for the Fight PAC, which has already spent $1.6 million supporting Pearson, started running an attack ad against Taylor on Wednesday using the Scene article as its basis.

State Senate candidate David Weatherspoon, a Democrat running against Taylor in a separate state race, and state House candidate Jesse Huseth said Wednesday, if elected, they would file legislation to make “cyberflashing” a crime. Huseth, a Democrat, faces Republican Rep. John Gillespie in the House District 97 race. Tennessee has no punishment for sending unsolicited nude photos by text.

“Sending unwanted, sexually explicit photos is despicable, but especially so if it comes from a public servant,” Weatherspoon said in a release.

Taylor, a first-term senator from Eads in Shelby County, is known for making what he considers comical idioms on the Senate floor such as, “hanging in like a crackhead’s last tooth” and “working harder than an ugly stripper,” a comment that upset Oliver.

“His character is unbecoming of a congressperson,” she told the Lookout Wednesday.

Oliver said Taylor has been a “bully” toward her but hasn’t made any sexual comments. She said he also “doxxed” her on the Internet, which led to death threats. Taylor said Wednesday night he didn’t know what she was talking about.

“He would compliment me a lot, but also it would be coupled with micro-aggression,” Oliver said. “But no, I’ve never been made to feel uncomfortable around him.”

Senate Republican leaders declined to comment on the matter Wednesday, and other Democratic senators were tight-lipped.

Taylor said in the Scene article he was at one time a “rounder,” someone who hangs out at bars and gets into immoral activity, after an individual who requested anonymity out of concern about retaliation told the publication they got unsolicited nude photos from Taylor in 2021, before he won the state Senate seat. Another eyewitness confirmed the Taylor photo, according to the Scene report.

Taylor has held himself out as a Christian while in the legislature, in addition to pushing legislation to remove Democratic District Attorney Steven Mulroy from office in Memphis, passing a state takeover of the Memphis City School Board and supporting the Memphis Safe Task Force, which has split the community.

His opponent, Pearson, issued a statement this week saying, “Men of faith — let alone men who are married, in their fifties, and in public office — have no business sending unsolicited nude photos to women.” Pearson said the news “reflects very disturbing behavior” from someone who has held public office since 1995. 

Taylor has served on the Memphis City Council, Shelby County Commission and Shelby County Election Commission.

Taylor told conservative radio talk show host Matt Murphy Tuesday that it was a consensual text communication, though he admitted it was “with somebody that I shouldn’t have been communicating with, and this is a result of it.”

Asked by Murphy if he would describe the matter as an extramarital affair, Taylor said, “Anytime you have a relationship with someone outside your marriage, that is problematic, and I’ve acknowledged that, and I’ve acknowledged it to my wife, and I regret that.”

Taylor said one of his biggest regrets is that his wife and two children have to deal with the matter.

The Southern Christian Coalition, a collection of progressive ministers, is calling for Taylor to say whether he would use a congressional seat to demand the release of the Epstein files and investigate allegations involving Trump. 

“If Brent Taylor is so casually dismissive of his own predatory conduct, can Tennesseans trust him to hold all of Epstein’s enablers accountable — even if the investigation leads to Trump?” the Rev. Gordon Myers said in a release.