The Morning Brew: Former Health Department attorney accused of sending threats to herself

Welcome to Wednesday. Here are a few headlines to start the day:

Former health department Attorney accused of sending threats to herself 

Former state Health Department attorney Julie Ezell confessed to creating a false email account and sending threats to her government email, a special agent with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation reported in an affidavit. 

Ezell, who resigned Friday, was accused Tuesday in a criminal charge of sending threats to herself, falsely reporting a crime and preparing false evidence. She was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor in Oklahoma County District Court.

The email account purported to be from a sender who was concerned about Health Department rules regarding medical marijuana, The Oklahoman's Nolan Clay and Dale Denwalt reported.

The first email, on July 8, stated "they could show up in force to stop it if the government thought they could take rights away and erase the laws," the OSBI agent reported.

The email also stated, "We will stop YOU and you're greed. Any way it takes to end your evil and protect what is ours. We will watch you."

On Friday, Ezell emailed Tom Bates, interim commissioner of the Health Department, and told him she would resign immediately as the agency's general counsel.

"I am so sorry," she added.

trump says he misspoke on Russian election interference

President Donald Trump on Tuesday backtracked on remarks he made the day before when he said he didn't see why Russia would have interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections.

The Associated Press reported:

Back at the White House on Tuesday, the president told reporters that he said he meant he doesn’t see why Russia “wouldn’t” be responsible.

He also said he accepts the American intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia interfered in the election, but he denied that his campaign had colluded in the effort.

Trump spoke a day after returning to the U.S. to nearly universal condemnation of his performance at Russian President Vladmir Putin’s side in Helsinki. Putin said he wanted Trump to win the race against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

In Helsinki, Trump delivered no condemnation of Russia’s interference and refused to say he believes American intelligence agencies over Russia’s denials of meddling.

#ICYMI

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