While 5th District Democrat congressional candidate Chaz Molder was launching an ad campaign promoting himself as a moderate, faith and family guy, a raid of one of his business investments at almost the exact same time certainly won’t help his image efforts.
The building where Columbia Police just busted a massage parlor for suspected prostitution and human trafficking – in a raid involving ICE, TBI, and other agencies, and which was part of a statewide bust – is owned by M&CE, LLC, one of many of Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder’s LLCs.
Chaz reported in his federal financial disclosure that he has a 25% membership interest in M&CE, LLC.
Columbia police chief Jeremy Haywood announced on September 9: “During the execution of the search warrants, investigators located evidence indicating that illegal sexual activity was occurring at both locations. Three individuals working at the establishments were identified as being unlawfully present in the United States. Investigators also seized $104,279 in U.S. currency as part of the investigation.
Two individuals were arrested as a result of the investigation. One individual was charged with promoting prostitution, while the other was charged with prostitution.
Investigators also determined that the activity under investigation was connected to similar operations in other states and countries.”
While Molder may not have had direct knowledge of the activities being conducted at one of his properties, it certainly deserves an explanation and further investigation of whether his partners in this venture or others can withstand further, and necessary, scrutiny. This is particularly true as Molder is making a focus on “corruption” the centerpiece of his first commercial.
PEARSON EMBRACES DSA AGENDA. While many Democrats around the country are suddenly seeking a middle ground politically in order to distance themselves from the radical Democrat Socialists of America (DSA) policies, including candidates like Molder and Darden Copeland in Tennessee, 9th District Democrat nominee Justin Pearson is embracing the extremist Leftists seeking to dominate the party. Not only did Pearson participate in a recent DSA gathering in Denver, but he has also literally hugged up to the controversial and extremely toxic and divisive Hasan Piker.
While even the most radical Democrats, like Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and others, are rapidly pushing away from Piker and his extremist views, Pearson is not. Even Democrat House leader Hakeem Jeffries has condemned Piker; but not Pearson.
Will Pearson’s views play outside the deeply blue environment of the inner city and largely black Memphis portion of the district? Unlikely. And the newly drawn 9th district previously represented by Democrat Steve Cohen is much more rural and red than the old congressional district. Brent Taylor’s former primary opponent Jeremy Thompson is actively supporting Taylor, which should help motivate some of those rural voters that did not necessarily support Taylor in the primary. There is enough republican margin in the district to survive even a strongly motivated Memphis turnout, but it is a race that Republicans should not sleepwalk their way to November.
Steve Gill is editor and Publisher of TriStar Daily.
