House Speaker Beth Harwell, R-Nashville, answers questions at the Tennessee Press Association convention, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) NASHVILLE - A Tennessee lawmaker is effectively being quarantined from lawmakers, lobbyists and interns after the state's attorney general determined that he could pose a risk to "unsuspecting women" at the state Capitol complex.
House Speaker Beth Harwell announced Thursday that she is moving Rep. Jeremy Durham's office to the ground floor of a building across the street and that his access to committee rooms and the House chamber will be limited to when meetings are taking place. The move comes amid a state attorney general's investigation into the Franklin Republican's "pattern of conduct" toward women.
Interviews with 34 current and former lawmakers, lobbyists, staffers and interns included allegations that Durham made sexual comments and inappropriate physical contact with women working at Legislative Plaza, according to Attorney General Herbert Slatery's memorandum to Harwell.
Slatery recommended that the House take action to avoid a hostile work environment at the Capitol complex.
"Representative Durham's alleged behavior may pose a continuing risk to unsuspecting women who are employed by or interact with the Legislature," Slatery said in the memo.
Durham, who did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Thursday, has denied any wrongdoing and is running for re-election this fall. His attorney, Bill Harbison, said he objected to what he called an "unusual" investigation.
"We find it surprising and unfair, frankly, that a report would be released without our having had any opportunity to know what was being investigated or what was being discussed," Harbison told The Tennessean.
Harwell, a Nashville Republican, said in a statement that she felt "compelled to take proactive steps to protect all parties concerned until the conclusion of the investigation."
Durham stepped down as House majority whip in January and later withdrew from the House GOP caucus altogether amid several allegations of inappropriate behavior, both in person and via text messages.
He then went on a two-week hiatus from the General Assembly to seek unspecified medical and pastoral counseling.
Several GOP leaders have called for Durham to step down, including Gov. Bill Haslam, Harwell, Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey and state Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes.
Durham's colleagues also questioned previous behavior that included writing a letter on House stationery on behalf of a former pastor who pleaded guilty to child porn possession and statutory rape of a 16-year-old parishioner.
Prosecutors in 2014 sought fraud charges against Durham on allegations of altering medical prescriptions, but a grand jury declined to indict the lawmaker.
Slatery's office found most of the interviewed women felt they could not report Durham's behavior because they feared losing their jobs, or being deemed "untrustworthy" by employers, clients or lawmakers. Several of them said they avoid Durham or refuse to be alone with him, which has "affected their ability to perform their jobs," according to the memo.
The allegations outlined in Slatery's memo also say Durham used his position of power to:
* Obtain personal contact information from women.
* Initiate contact about non-legislative matters and try to meet women alone.
* Involve alcohol in his interaction with women.
* Make comments of a sexual nature or engage in inappropriate physical contact.
Timeline
A timeline of state House Majority Whip Jeremy Durham, who has been moved out of the legislative office complex amid an attorney general's investigation into inappropriate conduct toward women: 2003: Arrested by University of Tennessee police for breaking into the home of the new boyfriend of a woman who had broken up with him a week earlier. Durham confessed breaking into the home and taking items including a guitar, compact disks and the license plate of the man's car. Prosecutors and school officials don't pursue case. 2005: Finishes third in bid for student body president at the University of Tennessee on campus safety platform, but overspending on the flashy campaign leads to the disqualification of 16 party members who had won Senate seats. Durham blames an "accounting error." 2006: Cited for driving on a suspended or revoked driver's license in Germantown. Records don't indicate why his license was suspended. 2009: Becomes president of the Tennessee Young Republicans, ramping up fundraising efforts for state candidates. Later announces his House bid for a new Williamson County seat before lawmakers approve redistricting maps. 2011: Asks a reporter inquiring about his undergraduate arrest whether he "was talking about the right Jeremy Durham," and later dismisses the events as "college shenanigans." 2012: Gets opponents to agree not to record a candidate forum, but his campaign manager later shops his own recording to reporters. Durham tells The Tennessean he didn't know his staffer was going to record the session, but then offers the newspaper a copy. 2012: Elected to first two-year term. 2013: Prosecutors seek charges against Durham for altering the dates on two prescriptions, but the grand jury decides not to indict. 2014: Writes character reference for a Shelbyville youth minister who pleaded guilty to a federal child porn possession charge and later to statutory rape of a 16-year-old congregant. In the letter written on legislative letterhead, Durham recounts the second chance he received when officials decided not to pursue legal or disciplinary action for the "grave error in judgment" he made as an undergraduate. Nov. 2015: House Speaker Beth Harwell has Legislature's human resources chief speak to Durham about unspecified behavioral issues. Dec. 2015: Calls reporters "lunatics" for writing about his past brushes with the law, the child porn letter and a growing effort to remove Durham from his position as majority whip in the House. Jan. 12: Bid to oust Durham from leadership position falls one vote short of two-thirds needed in House Republican Caucus meeting. Jan. 24: Durham steps down as majority whip, and later withdraws from House GOP caucus. He then takes a two-week hiatus from the Legislature to seek unspecified medical and pastoral counseling. Jan. 28: House Speaker Beth Harwell calls on state Attorney General Herbert Slatery to investigate Durham's "inappropriate behavior and misconduct." April 7: Attorney general warns that Durham could "pose a continuing risk to unsuspecting women who are employed by or interact with the Legislature." Speaker Harwell announces that she is effectively quarantining Durham by moving his office outside of the legislative office complex and limiting his access to committee meetings and House floors sessions.