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NASHVILLE — The Tuesday night arrest of state Rep. Curry Todd, sponsor of Tennessee’s controversial guns-in-bars law, on DUI and handgun possession charges, quickly found its way into the political sphere Wednesday.

Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester called Todd’s reported actions “embarrassing to himself and the state of Tennessee. House Speaker Beth Harwell would do the entire a state a great service by asking Todd to resign or explain why she condones this unacceptable behavior from Republican leadership.”

In a statement, Todd said he is “deeply sorry for the events of last evening. On the advice of legal counsel, I have decided not to make any public comments about the situation at this time.”

He said he plans to talk with Harwell when she returns from an out-of-state trip “to determine whether it is in the best interest of the General Assembly for me to step aside as Chairman of the State and Local Government Committee.”

On a personal note, Todd said, “I am incredibly grateful for the calls of support from constituents, colleagues, and friends about this incident.”

House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga, told reporters “maybe the Democratic Party chairman ought to read the U.S. Constitution before he executes someone for something they haven’t been convicted of yet. That would be my suggestion.”

Forrester later replied, “It’s discouraging to hear Republican Leader Gerald McCormick quickly dismiss Rep. Todd’s poor judgement, saying he hopes Rep. Todd will retain his committee chairmanship.”

He said Harwell “either believes Republican leaders deserve special treatment or she believes these actions demand consequences. Rep. Todd’s judgement is no longer [in] question, Speaker Harwell’s, however, is.”

According to a Nashville police affidavit, Todd, who represents the Collierville area in West Tennessee, was pulled over by an officer at

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