Cockroft: House Committee To Begin Investigation of Complaints Against Kirby, Fourkiller

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 10, 2017
STATEMENT: Investigation Committee Chair Comments on House Members Under Investigation 

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Josh Cockroft (R-Wanette), chair of the bipartisan Special Investigation Committee (made up of members of the standing House Rules Committee) charged with investigating the circumstances surrounding the settlement of a wrongful termination claim paid by the House last year to a former House employee, released the following statement today:

“The Special Investigation Committee has been charged with not only investigating the settlement agreement, but – upon request by House Speaker Charles McCall and Minority Leader Scott Inman in his December 23 letter to the Speaker – the Committee has also been charged with investigating any and all formal complaints filed against current House members. There have been formal complaints filed against two current lawmakers: Rep. Dan Kirby, a Republican from Tulsa, and Rep. Will Fourkiller, a Democrat from Stilwell. These complaints will be thoroughly and fairly investigated by the Committee, and the results of those investigations will be made public. The Committee will meet on Wednesday, January 11 to adopt the special rules that will guide the Committee’s process and to schedule our next actions. In an effort to protect personal information of alleged victims and unelected witnesses, the Committee will conduct its investigation in private; however, the shared goal of all members of this investigation is to present our findings quickly and publicly so that Oklahomans can have confidence that the House of Representatives is a safe, indiscriminate place for employees to work.”
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