Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett showed another sign this week of his refusal to resign from office amidst an investigation into the allegations he was drunk at a national conference and groped a man at a hotel bar.
Commissioner Hiett filed an application with the State Supreme Court seeking a writ of prohibition to stop fellow commissioner Bob Anthony from conducting his own probe into the allegations. An Oklahoma City law firm representing Hiett said it was necessary to prevent Anthony from “engaging in efforts to trample Commissioner Hiett’s rights.”
Anthony responded with a statement on Tuesday defending his actions, “I make no apologies for my diligence in pursuit of justice on behalf of Oklahoma ratepayers over the last 35 years.”
Hiett’s motion asserted that Anthony “has claimed and is exerting powers not granted to him—in an attempt to taint what is supposed to be a fair, impartial, and independent investigation—.”
His motion cited instances where Anthony in the past accused other commissioners of wrongdoing. “Anthony’s obsession with and belief that corruption must exist somewwhere within the Commission has led Anthony to also repeatedly accuse his fellow Commissioners (current and former) of corruption, especially when they disagree with Anthony,” continued Hiett’s attorneys.
Commissioner Hiett’s filing with the Supreme Court further alleged Commissioner Anthony’s letters and demands on the Riggs Abney law firm hired to carry out the investigation are “designed to bully and intimidate their attorneys, and to push the investigation toward his predetermined outcome.”
The filing further claimed Anthony is expending public funds and his calling for Hiett’s resignation is an attempt to shame Commissioner Hiett and taint the independent investigation.
Below is the link to Commissioner Hiett’s filing.
file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/1059150063-20240819-135553-.pdf
Below is Commissioner Anthony’s statement.
I make no apologies for my diligence in pursuit of justice on behalf of Oklahoma ratepayers over the last 35 years. The constitutional duties of my office include the duty to “correct abuses” and there have been plenty. Not surprisingly, everyday Oklahomans are usually the ones being abused.
The 2021 Winter Storm bond fiasco that is now costing ratepayers some $5 billion is just the latest. Commissioner Hiett was intimately involved in orchestrating it and refuses even to admit the financial disaster it has become, let alone to accept any responsibility for its billion-dollar cost overrun or millions of dollars in discrepancies that remain unaudited and unexplained.
Worse, he continues to obstruct my attempts to uncover the whole truth. He persists in defending the bogus one-page “audits” of the Winter Storm bonds he has sent to the governor and lawmakers when the former head of the State Accountancy Board has said the Corporation Commission’s so-called “audits” do not comply with state law. All of this is obstruction, whitewash and coverup. Monday’s lawsuit against me is just another layer.