Henry's Spokesman: Laws Complied With

Governor Henry’s spokesman, Paul Sund, issued this statement in response to Wednesday’s testimony in the trial of Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan and his wife, Lori McMahan:

“Today’s allegations were originally raised in March of 2007 and addressed by the governor at that time.

“Gov. Henry’s campaigns have complied with all state laws and ethics rules and operated under the highest of ethical standards.

“Everyone who donated to the governor’s campaigns was required to sign a sworn statement attesting that their contribution was their own and in compliance with state law. Because of those sworn statements, there was no reason to believe anything improper had occurred.

“Gov. Henry did not become aware of any potential problems until March of 2007 when federal authorities indicated that possible straw donors had contributed to Congressman Dan Boren’s campaign and other campaigns in Oklahoma. The governor was surprised and disappointed to learn that some of the same individuals had given to his 2002 campaign, and he moved quickly to address the issue.

“To err on the side of caution and address even the appearance of any conflict, Gov. Henry immediately donated the funds associated with the so-called straw donors to charity: The Oklahoma National Guard Relief Fund and the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

“With respect to the chicken litter project, Gov. Henry met briefly with Mr. Phipps one time to discuss the venture, just as he has met with hundreds of other Oklahoma businessmen seeking input on economic development projects. After the meeting, the proposal was deemed to have no merit, and no action was pursued by the governor’s office. Gov. Henry never spoke to Mr. Phipps again after the meeting.”

There has been no assertion that Henry knew of the illegal donations.

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