Let’s peel back the curtain a moment and look at what new Attorney General Gentner Drummond has drummed up during his first season in office.
Here’s a look at the subject lines and quotes from emails his office sent out this month:
April 4: Drummond issues formal opinion on State Board of Education rulemaking authority
“Whether I agree or disagree with any particular rule in question is irrelevant if the Board does not have the proper authority to issue those rules,” he said. “The Legislature is vested with policymaking authority. I will not allow any state agency, board or commission to usurp the Legislature’s rightful role, even if they have the best of intentions.”
April 6: Drummond releases Independent Counsel report, files motion to vacate conviction of death row inmate Glossip
“After thorough and serious deliberation, I have concluded that I cannot stand behind the murder conviction and death sentence of Richard Glossip,” he said. “This is not to say I believe he is innocent. However, it is critical that Oklahomans have absolute faith that the death penalty is administered fairly and with certainty. Considering everything I know about this case, I do not believe that justice is served by executing a man based on the testimony of a compromised witness.”
April 11: Drummond remarks on [Oklahoma Turnpike Authority] work-stoppage announcement
““I am aware of the Turnpike Authority’s announcement to stop all work on toll road construction and improvements. This is a concerning development that causes me to question the leadership and cash flow management of this critical agency. While it is unclear what the future holds for OTA, I am certain that the investigative audit I have ordered is needed now more than ever.”
April 13: Drummond issues opinion pointing to lack of oversight in state purchasing
“The [Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency] report on the State’s purchasing system is a solid examination of what unthinkably has been allowed to become a seriously flawed process,” he said. “It appears as though reforms are needed to ensure accountability and oversight of taxpayer funds. It is incredulous to think no one questioned what we now know was occurring within the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department or that an executive branch agency was exempted from an $18 million purchase, despite the law plainly limiting the exemption to purchases not exceeding $250,000.”
If you just read that copypasta, you could conclude that’s just us being lazy this week, but honestly, it’s been a gulp of spring water in a salty, polluted sea of state government. It’s deeply satisfying to see a government official apply reasoning or, you know, conservative American principles instead of the batshit flying out the cave the rest of his party inhabits.
Now, on the other side of the scale, he joined the fight to sue the federal government in regards to environmental standards and he dropped charges against Rep. Terry O’Donnell (R-Catoosa) even though he concedes that the legislator likely committed a crime…
“I think he violated the law, but I think because he was targeted, I am not going to tolerate the prosecution of a legislator who has the audacity to hold accountable the attorney general. That’s just wrong,” Drummond said. “He was targeted for what I believe is loosely a common practice at the Capitol. The letter (I wrote O’Donnell today) admonishes him and says that you did wrong, but it didn’t rise to the level of a felony, nor do I feel the need to prosecute,” Drummond told NonDoc.
Either way, it seems like the new attorney general is more interested in applying the law and taking his office seriously, something that this state hasn’t seen in more than a decade.