Stitt requests audit, Hofmeister requests law enforcement investigation and school land office secretary’s resignation | Govt-and-politics

Wednesday early morning, Hofmeister requested a law enforcement investigation and identified as for the resignation of Elliot Chambers, the Stitt-appointed secretary of the condition agency named Commissioners of the Land Business office, which oversees $2.7 billion in authentic estate and other investments to help general public education and learning.

Also Wednesday, State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd’s place of work mentioned it been given a official request for a monetary and operational audit of the CLO from Stitt.

But Trey Davis, spokesman for Byrd’s workplace, claimed: “We are not able to honor the ask for since the State Auditor is a Commissioner of the Land Place of work, which makes a conflict of desire and independence challenge because of to government auditing standards. The CLO has a monetary assertion audit carried out each year which is out there on the State Auditor’s web-site” at bit.ly/landofficeaudits. 

In early June, a Tulsa Entire world investigation discovered that an interior auditor at CLO experienced been sacked less than a 7 days just after seeking into conflict of desire considerations lifted by a further leading staff about their boss, CLO Secretary Chambers.

Hofmeister, who is just one of five customers of the commission, reported in a press release Wednesday morning that a 2nd whistleblower has occur forward and that Chambers must resign right away.

A CLO spokesman said Chambers had no comment Wednesday.

“As I have reported just lately, the problems raised by the previous inside auditor at the Commissioners of the Land Office environment are alarming and will need to be absolutely investigated,” Hofmeister said in a created press statement. “Since that time, supplemental information has been offered that leaves me with out self esteem in the path of the agency less than Secretary Chambers. As a result, I believe that it is in Oklahoma’s greatest interest that Secretary Chambers promptly resign and respectfully contact on him to do so.”

Hofmeister also wrote to Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater on Wednesday, requesting a regulation enforcement investigation into the functions and funds of the college land business.

In accordance to Prater’s response a quick time later on, which the Tulsa Globe received by a request to Hofmeister’s office, the subject is beneath thought.

“I appreciate you bringing this issue to my focus,” Prater wrote in reaction to Hofmeister. “I will ascertain how to greatest look into the facts and situations encompassing the issue and take correct action if warranted.”

The Commissioners of the Land Business have a unique conference set for Thursday afternoon to make up for June’s often scheduled monthly meeting that had been canceled by company staff.

Hofmeister advised the Tulsa Earth she personally requested the scheduled executive session to go over previous internal auditor Erin Morgan’s exit from the agency, which was initially a termination she challenged.

The make a difference was finally fixed when Chambers and Morgan signed off on a settlement agreement labeled “confidential,” forbidding possibly social gathering from disparaging the other, and Morgan was reinstated on administrative depart for about two months so she could grow to be fully vested in her point out retirement account and then was authorized to resign.

Following her termination and just before the settlement, Morgan took the conflict of curiosity problems she had documented from CLO’s director of commercial true estate holdings straight to two statewide elected officers who are users of the commission that oversees the CLO: Hofmeister and Byrd.

The most important problem noted to Morgan in early December worried a corporation named Victorum Money, which was becoming paid by the CLO as a advisor on investments.

Morgan described currently being told that CLO Secretary Chambers had a private financial commitment connection with Victorum that experienced hardly ever been disclosed to the five commissioners of the Land Business.

Morgan was fired in January.

The CLO board is chaired by Gov. Kevin Stitt, and Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell and Agriculture Secretary Blayne Arthur also provide as members.

Hofmeister, who gained the Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday, is complicated Stitt in his reelection bid. The governor gained his Republican primary on Tuesday, and the pair will appear on the November typical election ballot.

In accordance to facts requested from the Oklahoma Place of work of Management and Business Providers, the CLO has seen the turnover of 56% of its 57 entire-time workforce considering that Chambers was appointed CLO secretary by Stitt in July 2020.

A week ago, Oklahoma lawyer common candidate Gentner Drummond also called for Chambers’ resignation, stating: “It is obvious to me that Secretary Chambers has an untenable own conflict and really should immediately resign from his situation as secretary of the Commissioners of the Land Office environment.”