New Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond hasn’t wasted any time in his first month in workplace.
Drummond, an legal professional and banker from Tulsa, has taken over from native district legal professionals a number of pending investigations of state spending. Among them are probes into the Tourism department and its contract with fish fry eating place Swadley’s; former Epic Charter Schools officers; and an early pandemic reduction program for academic spending. He’s slowed the tempo of scheduled dying penalty executions and filed or joined several state lawsuits in opposition to the government.
On Thursday, Drummond’s workplace mentioned it could take over the prosecution of an legal professional charged in October in Garvin County with 13 criminal counts alleging unlawful marijuana industry practices. The legal professional, Matt Stacy, used to be Gov. Kevin Stitt’s medical institution surge consultant within the first 12 months of the coronavirus pandemic. Stacy has denied wrongdoing.
Drummond mentioned stepping up enforcement in opposition to unlawful marijuana develop operations is amongst his best priorities. He additionally needs to lend a hand in finding commonplace flooring with Oklahoma tribes within the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt sovereignty resolution on legal prosecutions on tribal land.
As legal professional common and the state’s best legislation enforcement officer, Drummond mentioned he necessarily runs a legislation company of 220 legal professionals and investigators.
“In the past, I don’t know that past administrations have actually utilized the breadth and scope of the AG’s office,” Drummond mentioned. “I am a student of the law, and I have researched carefully for this position. I do think my skills are aligned with what the needs of the state are.”
Drummond, 59, first ran for legal professional common in 2018. He narrowly misplaced the GOP number one runoff to incumbent Mike Hunter. Drummond ran once more ultimate 12 months, defeating John O’Connor within the Republican number one. He then beat Libertarian Lynda Steele in November through 48 proportion issues. No Democrat filed for workplace.
Oklahoma Watch just lately sat down with Drummond on the legal professional common’s places of work in Oklahoma City. The following is an edited transcript of that dialog.
Oklahoma software shoppers are paying for many years for gasoline prices over only some days all the way through the wintry weather hurricane in February 2021. Given that the legal professional common has an obligation to constitute ratepayers in software circumstances on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, what’s your philosophy at the legal professional common’s function there?
I don’t faux to be knowledgeable in all issues of legislation. I’ve dived deep within the house of utilities and legislation within the Corporation Commission in order that I will be able to have some competency in that scope. I’m now not going to say competency but, however I’m going to say a large number of hours spent figuring out the function of the AG.
I consider obviously the legal professional common’s workplace is the protector of the ratepayer. That doesn’t imply we’re the antagonist of the utilities, as a result of frankly once I stroll in a room and activate a mild transfer, I would favor the sunshine to return on. But on the similar time, there must be a wholesome stress in order that the software firms are paid rather however now not egregiously the place there’s an undue burden to the ratepayer.
Did you spot the rest from the software ratepayer-backed bond procedure (to pay for the hurricane prices) that caught out to you?
With 20-20 hindsight, it used to be devastating to the state that we fought about it and didn’t right away securitize when the (passion) price construction used to be low. So now we’re going to pay $2 billion in passion. Had we now not fought amongst ourselves and acted like rational industry other people, that rate of interest would almost certainly be one-half (of that quantity).
At the tip of the day, (Storm) Uri came about. Prices went as much as $1,200 (in line with unit) from $1.90. It used to be a loopy time. My predecessor (John O’Connor) sought after to head sue all of the oil and gasoline firms. I’m an economist through coaching, and in the past, I’ve bought commodities in livestock and oil and gasoline. So I know the way the marketplace is structured. I don’t assume it’s the function of the legal professional common to dictate to the utilities on how they devour or acquire their gasoline.
I feel the marketplace forces, the unseen hand of Adam Smith, got here into play and costs went in the course of the roof. Our oil and gasoline firms will have mentioned, “No. We choose not to sell. No lights. No gas. Sorry.” So I don’t blame the trade for promoting on the marketplace worth. I’m an economist. It’s a unfastened marketplace; that’s what it dictated. I feel the utilities almost certainly walked away going, “We didn’t look so smart, and maybe we should blend forward contracting (for fuel purchases) with spot marketing.”
Do you may have new other people at your workplace’s Utility Division?
Those that have been affiliated with this house of legislation are now not in that house of legislation. I introduced in new subject material professionals so we’ve got a recent begin to do it proper.
What are you going to do otherwise on unlawful marijuana enforcement?
I feel (Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority) has morphed into extra of an administrative workplace and much less of an enforcement workplace. (Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) is concentrated at the trafficking of fentanyl and opioids which might be coincidentally aligned with the arranged legal component in our unlawful (marijuana) grows. My workplace has a host of legal professionals and a host of brokers, so we’re going to make use of that ability set to do the forensic analysis and research to search out those dangerous guys. We’re going to reinforce OBN. We’ll keep in our lane, however we’ll be adjoining to them and make a large distinction.
Our 3 biggest prison develop operations within the state of Oklahoma supply all of the marijuana wishes for prison shoppers. We are a gross exporter of marijuana. Nobody’s were given their eye on that ball. OBN is cracking down at the unlawful grows. OMMA is making an attempt to be sure that prison other people have licenses. Somebody wishes to forestall the gross export of marijuana.
Is that marijuana being illegally diverted to frame states?
I feel it’s a lot more subtle. I feel it’s getting into vans to New York and different states. They can take our legally grown marijuana and promote it for 100 occasions the fee that may promote in Oklahoma into California. It’s a outstanding benefit heart. So my company will center of attention at the civil asset forfeiture and the environmental abatement of the grows. I’m in quest of law that can require an (environmental) bond to mainly put Humpty Dumpty again in combination once more once we close down an unlawful develop. On civil forfeiture, we can take their pickups and their hydroponics and their weapons and their actual property.
How are you coming near the McGirt resolution and federal-state energy conflicts?
Our solicitor common’s workplace defends Oklahoma from federal overreach and prosecutes on behalf of Oklahoma to determine a transparent separation of federal and state powers beneath the tenth Amendment.
We’re expending substantial efforts now not in attacking Native American tribes, however in operating on a answer that makes McGirt a workable resolution and now not an obstacle. We’re now not enriching out of doors legal professionals at a $1,000 an hour (on contract.) We’re terminating all the ones relationships, and we’re going to make use of Oklahomans to get to the bottom of an Oklahoma factor with Native American tribes who’re additionally Oklahomans.
Your workplace has taken over a number of high-profile prosecutions referring to spending on the Tourism Department and federal reduction price range for training in the course of the governor’s workplace. But you additionally apologized to a former Stitt cupboard secretary, David Ostrowe, for being investigated through Mike Hunter’s workplace when he used to be legal professional common. What is the right kind function of the multicounty grand jury?
In my 28-year observe of the legislation, I’ve change into in detail accustomed to battle of passion. We want to admire conflicts of passion, and we want to wall out individuals who have sure schedule pieces or problems. As the AG, I want to absolutely divulge any private passion in the end. I feel all of the ones issues have been compromised: I feel the lads and girls in my workplace who prosecuted Ostrowe and the multicounty grand jury got most effective half of a deck of playing cards. And I feel if they’d been given the entire deck of playing cards, they might’ve almost certainly refused to continue.
Paul Monies has been a reporter with Oklahoma Watch since 2017 and covers state businesses and public well being. Contact him at (571) 319-3289 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @pmonies.
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