Justin J. Pearson
Role at the time: Tennessee state representative and Democratic nominee for Tennessee's 9th Congressional District, in a statement to Action News 5
Statement summary
In a statement sent to Action News 5, Pearson says married men of faith in public office have no business sending unsolicited nude photos to women, and calls Taylor's description of the photos as youthful indiscretion a ridiculous and dangerous mischaracterization of predatory behavior.
“Taylor's belief that sending unwanted naked photos of himself to women at 53 years old is "youthful indiscretion" is a ridiculous and dangerous mischaracterization of the type of predatory behavior that needs to be rooted out of our society and politics.”
Action News 5 reports a phone interview in which Taylor calls the revelation a politically motivated distraction, says the Scene's report contained some inaccuracies and declines to say whether he sent photos to more than one woman. The story also quotes Pearson's statement and the Rev. Earle Fisher of Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The case concerns Taylor's sending of nude photos that sources describe as unsolicited. Pearson calls the conduct predatory behavior and rejects Taylor's description of it as a youthful indiscretion, which condemns the conduct under scrutiny.