Judicial Nominee Says Henry Was First Contact

From The Tulsa World ~ Arvo Mikkanen, the embattled nominee for a judicial post in Tulsa, revealed that former Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry first contacted him about filling the slot.

Henry, however, has never been among those provided by the White House to counter the immediate criticism generated by the nomination.

On Thursday, Oklahoma's two U.S. senators, Republicans Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe, said they view the nomination as dead. Coburn and Inhofe also agreed the White House should withdraw the nomination and move on to someone else.

So far, the White House has declined to comment.

Mikkanen's revelation, included in a questionnaire he filled out for the Senate Judiciary Committee, clears up one mystery concerning how he was selected to fill the vacancy.

Mikkanen said he also was contacted separately by a White House adviser and understands that his name previously was submitted on lists of potential judicial candidates by several American Indian groups.

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