Braddock's Abstract Company Involvement Noted

By Tony Thornton and Michael McNutt, Staff Writers, The Oklahoman ~ A co-chairman of the House committee that will explore impeachment proceedings against state Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan has a possible conflict of interest, The Oklahoman confirmed Friday.

Rep. David Braddock, D-Altus, tried to buy an Altus abstract company in a deal that was contingent upon McMahan squashing another man's effort to open a competing company, sources said.

Read the entire story at http://newsok.com/article/3207880/1203742126.

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Jeff McMahan Impeachment Committee Ponders Whether Future Meetings Will Be Open Or Closed

The special House committee looking into possible impeachment proceedings against state Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan is assessing today whether its initital meetings should be closed to the public as was its first meeting.

Meetings four years ago to discuss the impeachment of then-Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher were open to the public, but those involved in the McMahan probe seemed unaware of that.

"Our counsel was that we needed to have those meetings behind closed doors,” Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, told The Oklahoman's Michael McNutt.

Rep. Rex Duncan, a former prosecutor and co-chairman of the McMahan impeachment committee, said the nature of the committee's work would seem to be closed. "Of course an investigation would be closed,” said Duncan, who was not in office when the Fisher committee met. "No decision's been made,” said Duncan, R-Sand Springs.

Benge later issued a statement that the eight-member committee still is collecting information about the Fisher proceedings and will determine "if this is an apples to apples comparison to the task at hand.”

"We want to make this as public as possible,” Benge told McNutt. "We're in the process of trying to find out what the precedent has been and what those legal barriers are if there are any to allowing public access."

If the investigating committee recommends removal, the full House will vote on articles of impeachment, which, if approved, will then move to the Senate for a trial.

The impeachment committee met briefly Thursday and talked about organizational matters, such as whether to hire an outside attorney, Duncan said. The committee has not set another meeting date, said Duncan, one of three attorneys on the eight-member committee.

The committee will look at whether McMahan violated his oath of office and the responsibilities he swore to uphold as an elected official. It is expected to investigate the federal charges filed against McMahan. Another issue could be McMahan's absence from the state job.

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Morgan Supports McMahan Investigation By House; Reynolds' Resolution Passes On 100 To 0 Vote

House Democrat Leader Danny Morgan said this afternoon he supports an investigation of fellow Democrat Jeff McMahan, the embattled auditor and inspector.

“House Democrats have made Ethics Reform their number one priority for this Session,” said Morgan, D- Prague. “Unethical and illegal fundraising practices are absolutely intolerable. This is not a partisan issue. Republicans and Democrats alike should be held accountable to the same standards. That is why we believe that an investigation into the State Auditor and Inspector is entirely appropriate and necessary.”

“Every person deserves their fair day in court,” said Morgan. “However, it is the Constitutional duty of this body to investigate if any impeachable offenses have occurred. If any unethical behavior has occurred, then the State Auditor and Inspector should be removed from office. We look forward to working with the Speaker and all of our colleagues in the House into investigating the charges brought against Jeff McMahan.”

House members passed the resolution calling for the formation of a committee to investigate whether McMahan should be impeached by a vote of 100 to 0.

The resolution calls for House Speaker Chris Benge to name the eight committee members. He said he will name four Democrats and four Republicans. A member of each party would serve as co-chairman.

Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, said he filed the resolution because House members have a duty to investigate the charges filed against McMahan and determine whether impeachment is appropriate.

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