Tennessee congressional candidate Weston Wamp (R) secretly recorded a conversation he had with a former candidate in which Wamp asked him to not endorse the incumbent.
The Associated Press reports:
Former congressional hopeful Scottie Mayfield says he was surprised when candidate Weston Wamp showed up at his home to ask him not to endorse incumbent Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, and he was shocked when Wamp texted that he had secretly recorded the conversation.
"I just think that’s not appropriate," Mayfield, a retired dairy executive, said in a phone interview. "I found it kind of unbelievable that he had come into my home unannounced with a recording device."
Mayfield, who came in second in the 2012 GOP primary, said the visit came the weekend before he made his public endorsement of Fleischmann in the 3rd District race on March 17.
Wamp stopped at Mayfield's home to ask him about his decision to make an endorsement. "He was asking a lot of leading questions, like who had talked me into supporting Chuck," Mayfield said. "I don’t know what his motivation was."
Later that day, Wamp texted Mayfield. Although Mayfield wouldn't forward the text message, he read it aloud to a Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter. "To protect myself, I have recorded my conversation with you and Lisa. I hope you will honor your commitment and not get involved in this race. Thank you sir," Mayfield read.
In a press release, Wamp said he did record the conversation with his iPhone.
"Scottie Mayfield says he thought the conversation was private and it was, until he made it public today," he said Friday. "I intended to keep it private; you will have to ask him why he chose to make it public."
On March 17, Mayfield voiced his support for Fleischmann. Mayfield said he felt the need to make an endorsement (after previously saying he planned not to) because he heard others claim that he was supporting Wamp, The Times Free Press reported.
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