Branan Challenges Hiett On Ad Claims

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  June 18, 2014

Contact: Todd Brawley

Branan Challenges Hiett to Justify Latest Attack Ad
Hiett pulls schoolyard ploy of saying “he’s lying” but offers no evidence to support classless claim

OKLAHOMA CITY   ̶   In his last ditch effort to turn the tide in the race for Corporation Commission, Todd Hiett has made a claim that Cliff Branan is “lying.”  Branan today challenged Hiett to justify that charge.  “Professional politicians have always resorted to name-calling when they don’t have the facts,” Branan stated.  “That’s clearly what Todd Hiett is doing now.”

Branan then went point-by-point through the claims his campaign has made and proved they were all truthful.

Claim #1:  Todd Hiett is the politician we got rid of eight years ago. 

Fact:      In 2006, Todd Hiett ran for Lt. Governor, narrowly won the Republican primary in a runoff election, and then lost in the general election to Jari Askins

Claim #2:  Todd Hiett was accused of a Pay-to-Play scandal.

Fact:  The March 23, 2006 and March 29 editions of The Oklahoma Gazette article went into detail about the scandal.

Claim #3:   Hiett raised the state budget by 30%

Fact:  In fiscal year 2005, the year before Hiett began his two year tenure as Speaker, the state spent $5.4 billion dollars.  For fiscal year 2007, the Hiett led House of Representatives appropriated $7.1 billion dollars, and increase in excess of 30%.  The $5.4 billion number is from the Governor’s Executive Budgety FY-2007 on page C-25, a historical chart of “final appropriations.”  The $7.1 billion number was originally referenced in a June 24, 2006 article in the Oklahoman.

Claim #4:   Hiett received an “F” on the conservative scorecard

Fact:  The Summer 2006 edition of The Oklahoma Constitution shows a 50% rating for Hiett.  This was also reported in a July 10, 2006 edition of The Tulsa World.

Claim #5: Todd Hiett has been a Director at a bank that took $30 Million in bailout money.

Hiett has reported in federal documents, such as FEC reports, that he does sit as a Director for Spirit Bank, has been introduced to speak with this title and has promoted his banking experience in his own campaign.  According to the U.S. Treasury, Spirit Bank accepted $30 million dollars as part of the 2008 Troubled Asset Relief program, commonly known as TARP of the bank bailout.  Noted conservatives such as Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe have referred to this program as a bailout as have numerous news sources.  Coburn’s and Inhofe’s descriptions can be seen online at  BAILOUT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL: Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/inhofe-bailout-vote/2009/01/13/id/327648/ respectively.

“Unfortunately, being untruthful in advertising has become the norm for Mr. Hiett. His attacks against Scott Pruitt were deemed ‘false’ and ‘misleading’ in an OETA news story of May 21, 2006,” stated Branan.

“I challenge Todd Hiet to prove that my campaign advertising has lied in any manner.  If he proves that, I will take that advertising down immediately.  If he cannot prove it, then Hiett should immediately pull his false advertising.  I have stood-up to bullies before, and I will continue to do so,” Branan stated.

###