This week, convicted felon and former Senator Gene Stipe will appear before a federal judge in Muskogee facing the possibility of having his payroll revoked and going to prison.
After many decades of alleged wrong doing, Stipe was convicted and removed from office in 2003, was given a suspended sentence, and has been on probation since that conviction.
We are now reading daily reports about another ongoing scandal involving Stipe, Stipe’s partner, former Democrat lawmakers, and several current high ranking elected Oklahoma Democrats including Attorney General Drew Edmondson, State Auditor Jeff McMahan and even Governor Brad Henry.
The FBI met with our very own State Auditor for the third time last Thursday.You have to wonder how a scandal this widespread could go on right under the noses of those officials who Oklahoma voters elected to keep it from happening. And second, why our state officials aren’t investigating the matter.It’s actually pretty simple. The officials that could look into this mess are too closely tied to those responsible, and therefore they can’t see the forest because of the trees.
Attorney General Drew Edmondson and State Auditor Jeff McMahan (along with others) have accepted tens of thousands of dollars in illegal contributions from Stipe and his associates. Yet they will not remove themselves from the investigation. When the governor was asked to name an independent agent to do the investigation, Edmondson responded that the request was political.
Absolutely, Mr. Edmondson…this is political. It involves large illegal political contributions to your campaign and that of the state auditor. It is political Mr. Edmondson, because the campaign consultant for both you and the auditor has been named as a recipient of state funds, which were illegally funneled through the Rural Development Foundation. It is political Mr. Edmondson, and that is exactly why you should remove yourself and demand the state auditor be removed as well.
-Gary Jones, Chairman - State Republican Party
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