Walters falsely claims investigators cleared him in nude images investigation, ignores questions seeking clarity

Yahoo

4 days ago

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — On Tuesday—days after two state school board members said they saw nude images of women playing on a TV in state Superintendent Ryan Walters' office—Walters denied any wrongdoing and falsely claimed investigators had cleared him.
He also accused Governor Stitt of orchestrating the entire thing as a 'character assassination,' but refused to answer reporters' questions seeking clarity and evidence to back his claims.Walters made the comments during a press conference just outside Governor Kevin Stitt's office Tuesday afternoon, where he accused the governor and his appointed board members of political sabotage.'These board members decided to construct a lie to destroy my character,' Walters said. 'Lies will have consequences.'
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Walters called the press conference after Oklahoma State School Board members Ryan Deatherage and Becky Carson told The Oklahoman and NonDoc last week they saw nude images of women playing on a TV inside Walters' office during Thursday's board meeting.They said they immediately confronted Walters, who looked at the screen, scrambled for a remote, and turned off the TV without acknowledging what had appeared on it.Gov. Stitt appointed both Deatherage and Carson to the board earlier this year amid a falling out with Walters.
On Friday, the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) opened an investigation.
News 4 reported that OMES asked the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) to begin a criminal investigation Monday.OCSO told News 4 Monday it was way too early to jump to any conclusions.'We're aware of what has been told to the media, but obviously we have to do our own due diligence to speak with those witnesses that are involved to determine whether there was anything criminal,' said OCSO spokesperson Aaron Brilbeck said Monday.24 hours later on Tuesday, Walters falsely claimed investigators had already cleared him.'We have had our name cleared by both OMES and the sheriff's office,' Walters said. 'There is nothing scandalous that I was a part of whatsoever.'
On Tuesday, Brilbeck told News 4 that Walters' claim is not remotely true.
'That simply isn't the case,' Brilbeck told News 4 on Tuesday. 'Our investigation is still ongoing. In fact, I would categorize it as being in its infancy. This is going to be a very thorough investigation. And once the investigation is complete, we're going to be very transparent with our findings.'
Walters offered no evidence to support his claims about investigators clearing him
RELATED: Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office joins investigation into Walters nude images allegations
Instead, he turned his focus toward the two board members who first raised the concerns.'I cannot begin to describe the disgusting nature of the lies leveled against me by board members, by the media, and by the teachers' union,' he said. 'This has been a coordinated attack to crucify my character. They should resign immediately in disgrace for the lies that they've told.'He also turned his attention to Governor Stitt, questioning whether the governor directed the board members to lie.'Did he direct these board members to lie about me? Did he direct his board members to go in and disrupt everything in these board meetings?' Walters said.Walters did not deny nude images appeared on the screen in his office.
He claimed the TV was tuned to a cable network and said none of his personal devices were involved with what may or may not have happened.'None of my devices were ever connected to that TV,' Walters said.When reporters asked which cable network was playing, Walters said he didn't know.
He also didn't respond when News 4 asked whether someone else's device could have cast content to the screen.'You're saying none of your devices, but have they ruled out that it couldn't have been someone else's device casting something on that TV?' News 4 asked.'I'm telling you, I just met with the sheriff's office yesterday and I met with them the day before,' Walters said. 'They've concluded there weren't devices connected to that.'Brilbeck, again, said that's not true.'Again, I'd like to reiterate that our investigation is ongoing,' he said. 'We haven't cleared anyone. We haven't determined whether there is any wrongdoing at all.'Walters never explained what he believes Deatherage and Carson lied about.In a joint statement Tuesday, the Deatherage and Carson told News 4:'No board member has accused Superintendent Walters of anything, we only brought attention to inappropriate content on a TV—content that would cause a teacher in our state to lose their license. As the investigation continues, we urge Superintendent Walters to cooperate with law enforcement and refrain from smearing the names, characters and reputations of board members.'Walters also lashed out at the media for reporting on Deatherage and Carson's claims.'So many in the press, the opponents of what we're doing, they despise the work being done by Oklahomans,' he said. 'They despise the will of the people.'
RELATED: Supt. Walters unapologetic in latest statement regarding 'nude women' allegations
Since Friday, News 4 has been reaching out to Walters' office with questions about what happened and asking for any facts or evidence to back up his claims.After five days, News 4 still has not received a response.Walters ended his press conference after taking only three questions.
News 4 attempted to continue asking Walters for facts and clarity as he walked away, but Walters ignored News 4's questions.'Are the board members lying that you turned off the TV?' News 4 asked. 'Did you see what was on the TV?'He didn't respond.News 4 tried again.'Superintendent Walters, why has your office not responded to our inquiries at all this week?' News 4 asked 'We've tried to get facts from your office, but they've not responded. How can you say the media is not getting the facts?'Still, no answer.
Another reporter asked Walters if he would allow the press to see the inside of his office and show the press how the TV works.
RELATED: Investigation inquiry underway after bombshell reports say board members saw naked women on Ryan Walters' office TV during meeting
Walters ignored that question, too.State troopers attempted to block News 4 from following Walters down a public staircase, giving him time to exit through a side door before News 4 could ask anything further.State Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City, witnessed the press conference and aftermath.'Ryan Walters came up here and lied about the scandal, lied about the media, lied about teachers unions, uses and another opportunity to attack anybody that he could,' Bennett said. 'Lied about the investigation, lied by saying that it was over when it's not. Created a spectacle of himself.'Bennett also attempted to ask Walters questions as he walked away.'I was asking him if he was happier to be talking about this scandal than us being 50th in education under his watch… and he didn't answer at all,' Bennett said. 'He did tell me he liked my hair.'Bennett said the superintendent's attitude is not something any Oklahoman should accept.'This is a scandal that shows he's a childish, immature, irresponsible politician,' Bennett said. 'But the reality is the people of Oklahoma don't need to be bothered by meaningless scandals like this. Nothing is not meaningless. And this is a serious dereliction of duty.'News 4 reached out to Governor Stitt's office to see if he had a response to Walters' accusations.News 4 did not hear back.News 4 did hear from both House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow) and Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle).
In a statement, Hilbert said:
'From the start, I have stated the need for a transparent third-party review of this situation. Regardless of one's thoughts on the State Superintendent, he deserves to be treated as innocent until proven guilty, the same as anyone in this situation.
As Speaker of the House, my desire is to let the independent investigation play out and where ever that investigation leads, the House stands ready to take appropriate action, if any is needed.'
In a statement, Paxton's spokesperson said:
'After discussions this afternoon with OMES and the Sheriff's Office, we understand the investigation remains ongoing. We believe Superintendent Walters is entitled to due process as this inquiry continues. It's important that he, along with members of the board, are given a fair opportunity to explain their account of what took place.'
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