Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony,, the elected official who has called for Commissioner Todd Hiett to resign in the wake of serious sexual abuse and drunkenness allegations against him, recently raised more such reports against Hiett.
One such report made to Anthony also involves another man, similar to the June incident in Minnesota where Hiett allegedly was drunk and attempted to grope a man at a public bar. Anthony also warned Tuesday the sexual violations could lead to Title IX and Title VII investigations and possible loss of millions of dollars in federal funding.
In a recent filing with the Commission as part of a dissent report, Anthony revealed claims he has received regarding other allegations of a similar nature against Commissioner Hiett.
He stated that four months after the latest allegations came to light in July, more reports have come to him and some “date back years. Some even predate the pandemic..”
“Incidents reported to me by eyewitnesses and outcry witnesses include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Hiett allegedly was visibly, publicly intoxicated and passed out in a women’s restroom at an out-of-state meeting in Florida with other OCC employees.
• Hiett allegedly sexually propositioned the male staffer of an industry/interest group at an out-of-state conference in Washington D.C.
• Hiett allegedly was so publicly intoxicated at an out-of-state conference in California, he was unable to get himself back to his hotel room or tell anyone his room number, requiring other state commissioners to use mechanized transport and challenge hotel
security protocols to get him back to his room.
• Hiett allegedly was visibly, publicly intoxicated at an out-of-state meeting in Texas and showed up conspicuously late and hung-over to the business sessions the next morning.
(I have deliberately kept the above descriptions general to protect the identities of the
witnesses/whistleblowers who told me about them.)”
Hiett didn’t deny the Minneapolis incident, claiming he didnt’ remember and blamed it on his affliction with alcohol. He has maintained since that he has been undergoing treatment.
Anthony, continuing in his filing said the alleged incidents involve criminal conduct “making them beyond the purview of the OCC’s “EEOC-type,” “confidentiall fact-finding” into commissioner misconduct” that explicity excluded “behavior of a criminal nature.”
He said consequently,the public is unlikely to learn anything about them from the OCC’s “so-called “personnel investigation” if indeed the investigation results in a report that is ever made public.
Anthony’s latest revelations were part of his Nov. 13 filing in which he contended the Corporation Commission staff was aware of some of the incidents involving Hiett and covered them up. The filing was also in response to the Attorney General issuing a legal opinion that said Anthony could not conduct his own investigation into the allegations.
“The public still has very incomplete information about this ongoing situation. Unfortunately, there do not seem to be any credible investigations taking place that are likely to shine any
additional light on the subject,” stated Anthony in concluding his filing.
“After learning about serious allegations of sexual harassment and assault, did a state agency funded by taxpayer dollars spend time and resources “promptly and adequately” investigating, and “taking appropriate action based on the findings of that investigation to prevent the conduct from continuing”? Or did that agency fail to perform its duties as a result of damage control, whitewash and coverup?
You decide.”
Anthony continued with his exhortations about the status of Hiett and whether he should be voting as he spoke out Tuesday during a Commission meeting where an OGE rate case was voted. Before Commissioners Kim David and Hiett voted to support the case while he voted against it, Anthony revealed his latest claims of violation by Hiett. He also raised the spectre that the Corporation Commission could be in danger of perhaps losing millions of dollars in federal funds.
Just as he made another filing on Tuesday where he discussed federal funds, Anthony expressed doubt whether Hiett should be taking part in the vote even as he awaits a state Supreme Court ruling on efforts to have him barred because of alleged criminal wrongdoing. Anthony suggested the wrongdoing could present violations of Title 9 and Title 7 where violations of a sexual nature could lead to the loss of funds.
In his latest filing, Anthony said the Commission received more than $26 million in federal funds from agencies and programs and in fiscal year 20025, it expects its federal funding to more than double to $64 million.
“Could Hiett’s Alleged Misconduct and the OCC’s Response to the Sexual Harassment Allegations Against Hiett Violate Title VII and/or Title IX? In My Opinion, Yes,” wrote Commissioner Anthony. “Did OCC managers or supervisors who became aware of the sexual harassment allegations against Hiett report it up the chain of command? Evidence available to me to date indicates, in most instances, No.”
In other words, grounds for violations leading to the possible loss of funds and ordered return of the millions in federal dollars.
“With tens of millions of dollars in federal funding a stake, ultimately, the federal government will likely decide who will be held accountable and how. Could the OCC lose some or all of
its federal funding? Could the agency also lose its ability to receive government contracts and funds in the future? In my opinion, the answer to both is yes. Will it? Only time and Uncle Sam
will tell,” Anthony wrote in his latest filing.
“Is this a risk Oklahoma taxpayers are willing to take? How much are Oklahomans willing to pay to protect a statewide-elected, accused abuser instead of the state government employees and
members of the public he is accused of abusing?”
Hiett did not comment and sat quietly as Anthony revealed his latest line of questioning regarding the sexual claims against him.
Commissioner Kim David defended Hiett’s attendance for the vote, saying Hiett didn’t have to recuse himself because rate cases are legislative matters, not judicial. She and Hiett voted to support the $127 million rate hike for OG&E customers. It prompted Anthony to explain in his vote against the rate hike that he would be filing a dissenting opinion. It was a 147-page comment where he stated, “In almost 36 years at this Commission, today’s vote is one of the most appalling, brazen assaults on the rule of law I have ever witnessed – and by two elected officials who took an oath to support, obey and defend the constitutions of Oklahoma and the United States.”
He further added, “Commissioners Hiett and David have declared today that they don’t care what the Court says. Due process rights of OG&E ratepayers and their own oaths of office be damned. They are going to give OG&E its $127 million rate increase anyway.”
He also accused Hiett and David of further flouting the law and willfully neglected their duties by approving anorder without having provided an audit of OGE’s 2021 Winter Storm bonds to the governor and legislative leaders which is required by law to be part of the case.