By John Dobberstein, Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY — State Supt. of Public Instruction Ryan Walters says allegations that images of nude women appeared on a TV screen during a closed-door meeting last week were a “coordinated attack,” and he suggested Gov. Kevin Stitt put State Board of Education members up to lying about the pictures to stir controversy.
The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the matter to determine if the nude images were in fact displayed on the screen, and if any laws were violated.
“I cannot begin to describe the disgusting nature of the lies leveled against me by board members, by the media and by the teacher’s union,” Walters said Tuesday during the press conference, as reported by KRMG and various other media outlets. “This has been a coordinated attack to try and crucify my character.”
This follows an earlier statement on July 27, where he denied a device of his was used to stream inappropriate content on a television, “and there is no truth to any implication of wrongdoing,” he added.
These falsehoods are desperate tactics of a broken establishment afraid of real change. They aren’t just attacking me, they’re attacking the values of the Oklahomans who elected me to challenge the status quo.”
Walters claimed he had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the sheriff’s department or the State Office of Management and Enterprise, and added the who matter was an attempt to derail education reform in the state.
But in a statement Tuesday on its Facebook page, the sheriff’s department said the State Office of Management and Enterprise Services asked the department to look into the incident and the probe was, “still in its infancy, it would be inappropriate to discuss who we plan to speak with or any evidence we are seeking.
“You can, however, expect a thorough investigation with the results being made public at the conclusion.”
A request for comment by Stitt’s offense was not immediately answered Tuesday.
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