OKLAHOMA CITY — Friction between political leaders in Oklahoma intruded on press conferences and events that unfolded at the Capitol this week.
During his regularly scheduled meeting with reporters on Friday, Gov. Kevin Stitt was asked about comments made the previous day by Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, who speculated that Stitt has a “personal hatred” for him and perhaps animosity “writ large” against the Republican-dominated Senate.
Treat suggested that disagreements he has had with Stitt dating back at least a year may have influenced the governor’s decisions related to vetoes of bills that originated in the Senate. He also said there’s been an absolute void for months in communication between himself and the governor.
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Friction also became apparent between Stitt and Attorney General Gentner Drummond and State Auditor Cindy Byrd after Byrd issued a blistering report on how taxpayer dollars may have been misspent during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stitt suggested that both Drummond and Byrd have political ambitions and may have coordinated the timing of the report and news releases to advance their own agendas.
In a statement Friday evening, Byrd said the report wasn’t motivated by politics but by very real concerns about the misuse of taxpayer dollars.
“The audit report is accurate and the concerns are real,” Byrd said in an email. “I am hopeful the Governor will take time to read the report and take measures to correct these deficiencies that have resulted in the abuse of Oklahomans’ tax dollars.”
Treat said his failing relationship with Stitt may stem from disagreements he has had with the governor and with House Speaker Charles McCall about state compact negotiations with some Native American Indian tribes in the state concerning such things as tribal gaming operations and car tags. He noted that he and McCall are plaintiffs in three lawsuits against the governor. Other disagreements have flared over education funding, how to implement school choice policies and whether the state can afford to cut taxes more than they’ve already been cut, Treat said.
The Senate leader noted that the governor has vetoed at least 14 Senate bills this year, as compared to four that originated in the House, and that he “arbitrarily” vetoed about 20 Senate bills last year.
“There seems to be a pattern emerging. … I may just be paranoid, but I believe where there’s paranoia sometimes there’s a real reason for it,” Treat said. “It seems like he may be headed down that same wrong-headed path, but we’ll watch and see and make sure he’s doing it on the merits of policy and not just trying to target myself or the Senate writ large. It seems like he’s also targeting AG Drummond with some vetoes. So I’m just serving notice that we’re watching.”
Treat said he thinks Stitt is a “good guy” and that they share similar political values, “but I don’t like the way he has operated in this building. I don’t think he has treated me or the Senate fairly or equally.”
“I really think (McCall) has turned his chamber over to the governor to allow him to run that place right now,” the Senate leader added.
Stitt responded on Friday that he certainly has no “personal hatred” for Treat and that he makes veto decisions strictly on the basis of policy and what he thinks would be in the best interests of Oklahomans.
“If we’ve gotten sideways on policy issues, that’s up to him to debate, but I don’t have ill feelings toward him or anybody in this building,” Stitt said. “If I’ve vetoed bills, … it really has nothing to do with whether it’s a Senate bill or a House bill. That’s pretty petty if they’re counting vetoes.”
Stitt suggested that news this week related to the auditor’s report on state contracts issued at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic may have been influenced by politics.
On Tuesday, Byrd released a scathing report on the use of federal pandemic aid and asserted that Oklahoma has become a “no bid” state with systemic contracting issues under Stitt’s administration. The same day, Drummond said he had granted a request by Byrd to conduct a deeper probe of the handling of contracting and procurement policies at the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
Stitt said Byrd’s findings relate back to the earliest days of the pandemic, in 2020, when the nation was in the midst of a “catastrophe” and unemployment benefit claims jumped “1,000 percent” almost overnight. In 10 months, he said, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission delivered $3.8 billion in aid to Oklahomans, more than it had over the previous 10-year period.
In her statement Friday, Byrd said Stitt was off-base in his accusations.
“Firstly, this audit covered federal expenditures for 2022, not 2020 as referenced by the Governor. Secondly, the findings were very similar to those reported last year, but the numbers in question are now larger,” she said. “Two agencies have previously reported these deficiencies, so these findings are no surprise to anyone.”
Stitt said the auditor’s report was both confusing and unfair.
“We are for a transparent process, but you really can’t pick on this,” he said. “For the auditor to say that we’re a no-bid state is really unfair and confusing to Oklahomans.”
The governor also questioned the timing of Byrd’s report, years removed from March of 2020, when the pandemic was just beginning to take hold across the country.
“I think what Oklahomans need to understand is: You’ve got an AG who’s said he’s already running for governor. You’ve got an auditor who’s running for lieutenant governor. Within an hour — we got no notice — but within an hour they had coordinated press statements on this 200-page report.
“(So) what I’m trying to say is, when you politicize or try to attack other political (figures), it is just very frustrating for Oklahomans. You can’t weaponize your offices for political gain,” Stitt said. “We’re going to make sure that people are held accountable, … but when you connect the dots, there’s some stuff that looks weird.”
Friday evening, a spokesman for Drummond said the attorney general stood by his previous statements related to the audit findings.
“Attorney General Drummond stands by his statements about the audit findings and will continue to work for accountability on behalf of Oklahoma taxpayers,” Phil Bacharach said in an email.