Beaman Disassociates from Ogles’ Shady Campaign Report

TVA board candidate says he never agreed to serve as treasurer

Joined at the hip? Nashville car magnate and Republican megadonor Lee Beaman hit a snag in his confirmation process to the TVA board over his association with U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles. (Photos: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

by Sam Stockard, Tennessee Outlook, Dec. 12, 2025 - Nashville car magnate and political donor Lee Beaman is distancing himself from a federal investigation into the campaign finance filings of U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles.

But playing dumb about being named treasurer for Ogles’ first congressional campaign in 2022 couldn’t keep his nomination for a post on the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors from being postponed this week. It is unclear when, or if, it will be revived by the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. 

When Senate Democrats grilled him in a hearing last week, Beaman said he served as Ogles’ campaign treasurer for only four months. But he filed written responses afterward repeatedly saying he never agreed to be Ogles’ treasurer and had no knowledge of a questionable $320,000 loan Ogles reported on a Federal Election Commission filing. Beaman said Ogles asked him in a text message to serve as campaign treasurer in early 2022 but that he didn’t answer.

Despite not agreeing to take the job, Beaman said in his official responses to senators he thought it was an “honorary” position and that he didn’t sign any FEC reports even though his name appeared on them. 

This wasn’t Beaman’s first deal with Ogles. As ProPublica reported in March, Beaman said he planned to raise $4 million in 2017 when Ogles announced a bid for U.S. Senate that didn’t come to fruition.

An Ogles spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment.

None of the senators asked Beaman whether he thought Ogles committed fraud by putting his name on FEC documents without permission.

The former owner of multiple Nashville auto dealerships and Beaman Bottling Company said he asked that he be removed as treasurer after seeing an ad listing his name.

Previously, the House Ethics Committee found Ogles likely violated federal campaign finance laws, mainly by reporting an inflated personal loan to make his bid for office look stronger in 2022. Ogles initially said he raised $450,000 for the race, yet his first FEC report showed he brought in only $250,000.

Ogles amended campaign finance reports in May 2024 and acknowledged making a $20,000 loan to his campaign and saying the additional $300,000 was in a joint account he shared with his wife.

Beaman said he had “nothing to do” with the FEC report filed in July 2022 showing the $320,000 loan and wasn’t familiar with allegations surrounding it until they were reported by local media much later.

According to committee questioning, the Ogles for Congress campaign issued a press release in July 2022 stating that Ogles “did direct donors to a few independent expenditure groups they were planning to assist in my getting elected.”

Beaman, though, said other than being a donor, during his time as campaign chairman he wasn’t overly involved in a dark money-group called Volunteers for Freedom Super PAC that backed Ogles’ candidacy three years ago. It’s illegal for campaigns and PACs whose money is not traceable to coordinate.

Beaman said he and his attorney started researching the dark-money question but didn’t know about a “donor-direction scheme” by Ogles because he didn’t know he was the campaign treasurer.

None of this scared Beaman off of political work: He and his wife, Julie, a former Williamson County Republican Party chair, recently served as co-chairs for U.S. Rep. Matt Van Epps’ campaign. 

But despite asking to be removed as treasurer, Beaman said he didn’t become aware Ogles became treasurer for a short time until after the House Ethics Committee contacted him in September 2025. Political operative Thomas Datwyler, who also has numerous questions surrounding his work, then took the job.

“I am aware of certain prohibitions. My only involvement was as a donor to the Ogles campaign and to the Volunteers for Freedom Super PAC. I did not engage in any coordinated activity between these two entities,” said Beaman, who was removed from the Belmont University Board of Trustees in 2018 following salacious accusations against him in divorce proceedings. He returned to the board in 2021.

One Democratic senator broached the allegations Beaman’s ex-wife made but declined to specify them in the hearing because they’re just too embarrassing.

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