A drug task force investigation into state House Majority Whip Jeremy Durham may have ended in a grand jury decision against an indictment, but top Republican officials have been calling it a serious matter that highlights the need to strive for ethical behavior.
Prosecutors sought charges against Durham last year after investigators alleged the Franklin Republican falsified the date on two prescriptions.
Durham has stressed that the grand jury agreed he had done nothing illegal, but House Speaker Beth Harwell and state Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes said the allegations should be taken seriously.
Governor Bill Haslam told reporters on Thursday that Republicans "as a party want to have a commitment to the highest ethical standards."
