Tennessee attorney general says team is looking into allegations against Rep. Durham

Slatery also says goal in VW emissions scandal investigation is to make consumers 'whole'

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III speaks to attendees at the Pachyderm Club meeting at 2 on the Roof on Monday, Oct. 26, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III speaks to attendees at the Pachyderm Club meeting at 2 on the Roof on Monday, Oct. 26, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

NASHVILLE -- Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery said today he has an experienced team already looking into allegations that embattled Rep. Jeremy Durham, R-Franklin, sent inappropriate text messages and "other communications" to female workers on Capitol Hill.

The Republican also said he feels "good" about the state's motion to dismiss a school funding formula lawsuit, filed by school districts in Hamilton and neary counties.

And on yet another front, the multi-state investigation into Volkswagen's cheating on diesel emissions standards, Slatery said "consumers need to be made whole."

The attorney general's comments to reporters came following an appearance before the House Civil Justice Committee on matters unrelated to the Durham investigation.

On Monday, a House ad hoc panel approved a resolution authorizing Slatery to proceed with an investigation and providing him subpoena powers.

"We've got a strategy and it's a good strategy," Slatery said, telling reporters he doesn't expect to be providing public updates on what his team is doing. "I don't want to play it out here. We want to be able to get the most out of each situation and who you use in those situations makes a difference."

"We got a team of really experienced folks on this. This is not their first investigation. So I have a lot of confidence in them. The two lawyers, they know how to ask questions."

Slatery, who declined to say whether his office has been in contact with any of the unnamed women, also said he doesn't know how long the probe, which ultimately will result in a report to a special House panel, may last.

It could go beyond the current legislative session, he noted, as lawmakers consider expelling Durham from the chamber if allegations prove true.

"We don't think at all it helps the state at all to lengthen the investigation, but at the same time we need to be thorough," Slatery said. "And it may be a number of conversations and we just don't know how each person may be different. There may be some reluctance stepping forward, I don't know."

He said the resolution adopted Monday by the special ad hoc committee established by Republic House Speaker Beth Harwell "obviously provides us with subpoena power and some other flexibility in being able to accomplish an effective investigation."

Slatery also noted in response to questions that he thinks the report would become public.

Regarding the school funding lawsuit, Slatery declined to say why his office feels good about its motion asking a Davidson County Chancery Court judge to rule later this month to dismiss the matter.

The counties allege Tennessee's Basic Education Program funding formula short changes schools on money. The state says the districts are misreading state law and prior court rulings on school funding.

And asked about complaints by attorneys general in other states that Volkswagen has not been especially open about their inquiries regarding the German manufacturer's cheating on some models' diesel emissions, Slatery said "that's a moving target.

"It seems like every day you get something different out of VW," he said of the company, which has its lone U.S. manufacturing plant in Chattanooga. "But we're trying to protect the state's interests. We're involved in a multi-state investigation and we have a number of lawyers paying attention to it and been involved in meetings. That's a serious issue.

Slatery said that for him the "crux of the matter is are they going to remedy the situation with the consumers and how are they going to do that? You get different reports on that. That's the real issue. The consumers need to be made whole. That's our objective."

Contact staff writer Andy Sher at 615-255-0550 or asher@ timesfreepress.com.

Upcoming Events