Report: Tennessee AG Launches Criminal Probe into Nashville DAs Office on Wiretapping Concerns

Nashville’s top prosecutor now finds himself under investigation, according to reports.

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has launched a criminal probe into Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk’s office in the wake of revelations of listening devices being installed around the building in downtown Nashville.

NewsChannel5, which first reported on the discovery of the devices, says the AG has sent Funk a letter seeking to learn whether anyone on the district attorney’s team violated the state’s wiretapping statute.

Funk has been instructed to preserve all evidence “regarding the purchase, installation, maintenance, and operation of recording devices,” as well as the audio recordings themselves and any communications about those recordings, the TV station reports.

Elizabeth Lane, Press Secretary for the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General, told The Tennessee Star on Tuesday the office is not commenting on the matter.

Funk’s team has not disputed the reports. DA officials insist the devices — capable of picking up conversations of employees and visitors without prior warning — are a necessary part of office security. The District Attorney’s office has said “there is no reasonable expectation of privacy for conversations in public places.”

“We have never conducted any unauthorized audio or video recording of any area where a person has a legitimate expectation of privacy,” Funk wrote in a letter to the Attorney General’s office obtained by NewsChannel5. “We know what the law allows and what the law prohibits.” Maybe not. Legal experts say the listening devices could violate state and federal wiretapping laws…. (Excerpt from The Tennessee Star)