Mayor Barry Goes On Media Blitz After Affair Admission

NASHVILLE, TN -- More than a week after admitting a long-term affair with her now-former security chief, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry is on a media blitz this weekend, purportedly to answer questions about the affair and any potential misuse of taxpayer dollars.

Beyond a brief interview outside a campaign event for Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry and brief statements, the mayor has been largely silent since her press conference admitting an affair with Sgt. Rob Forrest. Her social media accounts have remained active, mostly tweeting general praise for Metro events and thanks to the Metro Council for approving a referendum on her transit plan; there was also one tweet that, perhaps, the mayor's office would have been wise to skip, based on the replies.

But the veil of silence has now lifted. The mayor conducted one-on-ones with WKRN, WSMV and WTVF, but Nashvillians looking for insight from Barry might be disappointed.

During her interview with Channel 4's Alana Autler, the mayor responded with some form of "I am cooperating with the TBI investigation" to five of Autler's 12 questions, to wit:

Autler: I know this is an uncomfortable question, but it is one that many people have asked us: did you have intimate relations with Sgt. Forrest on out-of-town trips partly paid for by taxpayer dollars?
Barry: I’m fully cooperating with the TBI investigation. There are some parts of this that I’m going to have frank conversations about, and again, that’s something that will be going on in the investigation

In that interview, Autler asked the mayor if she would "pay back the money related to the trips" she took with Forrest and Barry said, after, of course, reminding Autler she was cooperating with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, that "there was no taxpayer money used."

However, in an interview with NewsChannel 5's dogged investigative reporter Phil Williams, the mayor said "I just want to make it right -- whatever right looks like for the citizens" when Williams asked her about a make-good payment to the city.

Meanwhile, sitting down with veteran anchor Bob Mueller on WKRN, the mayor said she had no plans to resign.

Photo via Office of the Mayor