July 31, 2025
Jones pointed the finger at Lee and ‘corporate lobbyists’ for limiting his access and labeling them as running state government.
News crew caught Tennessee representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) being asked to leave a music event at Nashville International Airport (BNA) after arriving without “confirmed credentials,” WKRN reports.
Jones arrived to witness the installation of the “Music City Loop,” a new underground tunnel that takes travelers from the airport directly to Downtown Nashville, under construction by Elon Musk’s The Boring Company. A spokesperson from the airport said Jones arrived on site slightly before 6 p.m. July 28. He was then asked to leave by Governor Bill Lee’s officials.
In a Facebook post, Jones pointed the finger at Lee and “corporate lobbyists” for limiting his access and labeling them as running state government.
“Today corporate lobbyists and Governor Bill Lee kept me out of an event announcing a public-private partnership with Elon Musk’s Boring Company, which will be built through my district,” Jones wrote.
“Despite being hosted by the state, and other white Republican lawmakers being allowed in, I was denied entry and told I was not on a ‘private list’ for an event involving state authorities hosted in my district.”
He described the governor and donors as “enriching themselves” while ignoring the needs of constituents. Jones also pointed the finger at Musk’s company, claiming it is known for constantly violating workplace safety laws.
“This project, which requires state approval, is yet another attempt by Bill Lee and his corporate donors to enrich themselves while neglecting public services and real infrastructure needs of working-class people who commute to downtown for work at bars, hotels, and restaurants,” Jones wrote.
“The everyday Tennesseans who call House District 52 home deserve to have their questions answered since they will bear the true costs of this vanity project. Shame on Governor Bill Lee, shame on the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, and shame on the corporate lobbyists selling our state to the greediest oligarch in America.”
The airport attempted to save face, claiming anyone who wanted to attend needed to RSVP first, which Jones allegedly didn’t do.
“Due to the nature of the event and associated security protocols, confirmed credentials were required for entry,” said BNA’s Vice President of Corporate Communications and Marketing, Stacey Nickens in a statement. “To clarify, Representative Justin Jones was not removed at the direction of Governor Bill Lee.”
In the video showing him being turned down at the event, Lee said he informed Lee’s staff that he would be attending.
This isn’t the first time Jones was denied entrance—or questioned about his appearance—at an airport event. In July, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem asked Jones to leave after he was permitted to attend.
Jones and other Democratic lawmakers have spoken out against the project, including Tennessee House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons, Senator Heidi Campbell and Rep. Aftyn Behn, according to WSMV, particularly the hiring of Musk’s company.
Davidson County delegates are scheduled to send a formal letter to Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Stuart McWhorter, demanding complete transparency on the state incentives for the project.
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