OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) 鈥 Criminal charges against a Republican state lawmaker in Oklahoma that accused him of abusing his power by changing state law so his wife could become a tag agent are being dropped, Attorney General Gentner Drummond said on Thursday.
Drummond said in a letter that he was dismissing because he concluded that former Attorney General Mike Hunter ordered the investigation 鈥渇or the purpose of political retribution.鈥
鈥淚t was no secret then, and it is well established now, that the former attorney general had ample motive to target you,鈥 Drummond wrote to O'Donnell. 鈥淗e concealed this motive from the district attorney's office, resulting in a series of events that culminated in criminal indictments,鈥 he said of Hunter.
Hunter and O'Donnell had over Hunter's Purdue Pharma and how much of that settlement was paid to outside attorneys.
Messages left Thursday with Hunter were not immediately returned.
O'Donnell, a Catoosa Republican, was indicted in December 2021 on five felony counts and three misdemeanors while his wife, Teresa O'Donnell, was charged with three felonies and one misdemeanor.
In 2019, O鈥橠onnell introduced a bill that removed a prohibition from state law that said spouses of legislators couldn't serve as tag agents. Three months after Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the bill into law, the Oklahoma Tax Commission appointed his wife to take over the Catoosa Tag Agency.
O鈥橠onnell and his wife were accused of submitting a fraudulent application to the tax commission, which appoints the state鈥檚 more than 300 independent tag agents. Tag agents provide services such as motor vehicle registrations and renewals, and they issue license plates, handle vehicle title transfers and lien releases. They also provide notary services, and can issue state and local hunting and fishing licenses.
Neither O'Donnell nor his attorneys responded on Thursday to messages seeking comment on Drummond's decision.
In his letter to O'Donnell, Drummond noted that he did not endorse O'Donnell's conduct in the matter.
鈥淚 question your judgment in authoring legislation that resulted in a benefit for your family,鈥 Drummond wrote. 鈥淵our decisions contributed significantly to the consequences you have endured.鈥
O'Donnell, who has maintained his innocence, as the No. 2 leader in the House after the charges were filed.
Drummond, who from the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office earlier this year, said another reason he decided to drop the charges is that the Oklahoma Constitution prohibits lawmakers from voting on bills in which they have a personal or private interest that has not been 鈥渁ggressively or equally enforced.鈥
鈥淭he fact that you were singularly referred for prosecution guides my decision to dismiss the charges against you,鈥 he wrote. 鈥淚n doing so, I make clear that this law, and all others, will be fairly and fully enforced in the future against all members of the Legislature.鈥
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