NASHVILLE (AP) - A House Republican has made a formal request to hold a caucus meeting to reconsider the leadership position of embattled Rep. Jeremy Durham.

Rep. David Alexander wrote a letter to the House Majority Leader Gerald McCormick to ask for a vote on Durham's future as House whip. It takes five requests for the meeting to be called.

Durham's leadership role has come under scrutiny following recent revelations that he wrote a character reference for a youth pastor convicted of child porn possession and statutory rape.

Prosecutors also sought charges against the lawmaker for altering the dates on two prescriptions, though a grand jury last year declined to indict him.

House Speaker Beth Harwell in a statement said she was "sorry this has been a distraction from the important business of the state."