Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett was charged with a DUI after attending the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Coffee County on Friday.
According to The Tennessee Journal, the secretary was at the event “from Friday afternoon through around 11:30 p.m. when he was stopped by Tullahoma police. He was given a blood test and charged with DUI.”
“Driving Under the Influence is a serious matter, and I regret the circumstances that led to my arrest,” Hargett said in a statement that he gave to The Tennessee Journal. “I respect law enforcement and will trust the legal process as we move forward.”
According to the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website, “Tre Hargett was elected by the Tennessee General Assembly to serve as Tennessee’s 37th secretary of state in 2009 and re-elected in 2013, 2017, and 2021. Secretary Hargett is the chief executive officer of the Department of State with oversight of more than 300 employees. He also serves on 16 boards and commissions, on two of which he is the presiding member. The services and oversight found in the Secretary of State’s office reach every department and agency in state government.”
The website adds that, “The Tennessee Secretary of State has oversight of the Department of State. The Secretary of State is one of three Constitutional Officers elected by the General Assembly, in joint session. The Secretary of State is elected to a four-year term.”
“The constitution mandates that it is the secretary’s duty to keep a register of the official acts and proceedings of the governor, and, when required, to “lay same, all papers, minutes and vouchers relative thereto, before the General Assembly,” it says.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR, Twitter, Truth Social, and Parler.
Background Photo “Courtroom” by Karen Neoh. CC BY 2.0.
