Gerhart: Charges Are ‘Political Persecution’
Sooner Tea Party co-founder in Oklahoma calls blackmail charge against him ‘political persecution’
Al Gerhart, of Oklahoma City, faces a felony blackmail charge stemming from an email he sent to Oklahoma state Sen. Cliff Branan. Gerhart turned himself in over the weekend at Midwest City jail after returning from an overseas trip.
By Nolan Clay | Published: April 16, 2013
The co-founder of the Sooner Tea Party on Monday called the blackmail charge against him “political persecution.”
“He’s paying us back,” Al Gerhart said of Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater. “It’s absolutely payback.”
Prater last week charged Gerhart with blackmail in connection with an email sent to Sen. Cliff Branan.