Legislative leaders call for action

In response to the Bredesen administration's back tracking on how the THP will approach victims of its illegal activity, there are renewed calls for an independent investigation and for the release of all names:

The information discrepancies from the THP left critics concerned that the investigation continues to head in the wrong direction.

House Majority Leader Gary Odom, who like Bredesen is a Democrat, called the explanation for the misinformation “very strange.”

“Obviously there appears to be a lot of confusion within the agency,” Odom said. “That in itself is even more justification why this investigation should be conducted by an agency outside the Department of Safety.”

Odom’s Republican counterpart, Minority Leader Jason Mumpower, echoed the call for an independent investigation. He added that House and Senate members of his party may look into the allegations.

“The best thing to do is for Governor Bredesen to order the release of the list of names,” Mumpower said.