Gov. Lee: Execution report complete, will release later

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Friday that the independent review into the state’s lethal injection procedure has been completed, but he refused to immediately release the findings. The governor’s office then refused to release records that could have illuminated his decision, citing attorney-client privilege and the disputed “deliberative process privilege.” Lee appointed former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton to review circumstances that led to the failure. Documents obtained through a public records request later showed that at least two people knew the night before that the lethal injection drugs the state planned to use hadn’t undergone some required testing. “We want to deliver it and we’ll have it delivered before the end of the year.” Tennessee’s independent review comes as many of the executions carried out this year were “botched” or highly problematic.