By Rob Luke

Edmondson is so intent on wringing a multi-million dollar ruling for the state and its lawyers against the country's biggest chicken producers that he's passing up a winnable shot at the U.S. Senate, we report today.

Good news for the lawyers who could reap a bonanza if Edmondson's suit against 14 major chicken producers succeeds, we've already noted. Bad news for Oklahoma business.

The attorney general started pursuing Arkansas-based Big Chicken-owned producers six years ago. Now, after key legal victories, he no doubt smells blood. Higher office can wait - Big Chicken, charged with polluting popular waterways in Oklahoma's northeast, looks ripe for the final kill, he appears to have decided.

The suit's biggest winners so far are the lawyers Edmondson hired on a contingency basis to represent the state against Big Chicken. Miller & Keffer; Riggs, Abney, Neal, Turpen, Orbison & Lewis; and Motley Rice now stand to collect up to one-third of any financial award the state wins in the suit after a recent ruling. Read more...

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, Mike Turpin, Poultry Lawsuit

Posted at 5:51 AM |   

Steve Byas and Gary Cooper of Oklahoma Politics & You, interview Enid attorney Stephen Jones about Attorney General Drew Edmondson's "crusades"

Related: Federal Judge Denies Some Motions To Dismiss Chicken Litter Lawsuit

Labels: AG, Brent Rinehart, Drew Edmondson, Poultry Lawsuit, Tim Pope

Posted at 7:57 AM |   

Attorney Marie West, who once worked for Attorney General Drew Edmondson, and has since sued him, claims she was asked to "lie, to spy on, and to give shoddy legal advice" to the very state agencies she was employed to represent, according to this shocking report first broadcast on KFOR in December. (video has been removed)

OKPNS has learned of allegations that the Attorney General's office is purposely over counting chicken houses to bolster its claim of river pollution. This document was distributed at an August, 2006 Oklahoma Scenic River Commission meeting. It shows 3,057 houses in the Illinois River watershed - and then calculates out the amount of litter, etc.

According to our source, there were only 1,694 active houses. There may be 3,057 poultry houses, but many of the old houses are no longer in use. The report also estimates that the "3,057" houses produce 542,948 tons of poultry litter or 177 tons of litter per house.

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture calculates litter at about 125 tons per 40X400 house ( which is a standard size - some are larger, some are smaller.) If the numbers are re-calculated on the true number of active poultry houses - and the amount of litter generated - it's less than half the number the secretary of environment and the Oklahoma Attorney General is using to convince the public there is too much litter.

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, Poultry Lawsuit

Posted at 8:43 AM |   

As we've been reporting these last few weeks, Drew Edmondson is quite popular with Oklahoma's major newspapers and televison media. So popular in fact, there's been scarce mention of the alleged abuses in his office as detailed by a very credible whistle blower who formerly worked for him.

Our further investigation into the "poultrygate" scandal - and the mainstream media's shocking disregard to uncover the truth - has revealed that Edmondson is also popular with small town media as well. Larry R. Wade, publisher of the Elk City News, generously donated $2,500 to the attorney general's '06 re-election effort.

As we've stated before, Mr. Wade - as do other members of the press - have every right to participate in our democracy through their financial contributions. But as providers of news to the people, they have a unique obligation to be viewed as impartial and balanced. Newspaper publishers and television executives contributing to any elected official's political campaigns, certainly raises all kinds of legitimate ethical questions.

One would believe that Mr. Wade, who has a journalism degree from OU and has been a former President of the Oklahoma Press Association and Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation would understand our concerns. OKPNS will continue to investigate.

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, Poultry Lawsuit, Press Bias

Posted at 6:14 AM |   

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, Poultry Lawsuit

Posted at 9:21 AM |   

Attorneys representing Tyson Foods Inc. filed a motion (Read full motion) Wednesday that calls into question the legality of Attorney General Drew Edmonsdon awarding contingency fee contracts to several private law firms - including former attorney general and friend Mike Turpin - in regards to the poultry suit. Tyson lawyers hope to get the private attorneys dismissed and have Edmondson "carry his own water with this lawsuite" or have the suit dismissed altogether.

The motion states that Edmondson entered into contingency fee contracts with several private law firms authorizing them to represent the state and promising them a substantial portion of any recovery the state might obtain. The motion says such a contract "violates both the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions."

"The Contingency Fee Contract transgresses due process under both the U.S. and Oklahoma constitutions because it inextricably commingles use of the State’s power by private attorneys with an executory obligation on the part of the State to provide these attorneys with massive private profit that varies depending on the results of the litigation..."

"Moreover, because the Contract commits a large percentage of any damages the State may recover to the State Contingency Lawyers in the absence of a specific legislative authorization, the Attorney General has violated the separation-of-powers provisions of the Oklahoma Constitution..."

The motion aslso asks the question that the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman seems to want to ignore:

"The Attorney General is hardly immune from thoughts of personal gain in some form. The State Contingency Lawyers hired here are the same law firms the Attorney General hired to prosecute the State’s claims against the tobacco industry. These attorneys have donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Attorney General’s campaigns in recent years. In short, the Attorney General has hired his biggest supporters and has thereby violated due process by creating at least a reasonable impression of impropriety."

Labels: AG, Daily Oklahoman, Drew Edmondson, Poultry Lawsuit, Tulsa World Mike Turpin

Posted at 11:42 AM |   

TULSA, Okla. (AP) A federal magistrate sides with Attorney General Drew Edmondson's argument that he shouldn't be deposed for his lawsuit against poultry companies.

Judge Sam Joyner also ruled, however, that Edmondson's office should answer questions from poultry companies about evidence that is to be used in the case.

Joyner says since Edmondson is representing the state of Oklahoma in the lawsuit, the state is the true party, not the attorney general.

Simmons Foods is one of 13 poultry companies being sued over poultry waste use in the Illinois River watershed. It and other companies believe Edmondson should be considered a witness because he said the amount of phosphorous dumped on the ground in the watershed annually is equivalent to the waste of more than 10 (m) million people.

Joyner agreed with the poultry companies' argument that Edmondson's office had given evasive or incomplete answers to a series of pretrial requests for information.

Edmondson's office has 30 days to further answer questions from one company regarding the evidence.

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, Poultry Lawsuit

Posted at 7:15 AM |   

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, OK Media, Poultry Lawsuit, Press Bias, Tulsa World

Posted at 5:51 PM |   

Chickens, Pollution at Core of States' Dispute
by Greg Allen

NPR Morning Edition, June 7, 2005 · Water monitors recently found in Arkansas creeks have state officials angry over what they call the clandestine monitoring of their chicken industry. The monitors were traced back to Oklahoma's attorney general, who is threatening to sue the Arkansas chicken industry.

While the discovery of the water monitors was an embarrassment, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmonson and other officials are refusing to back off their contention that Arkansas must do more to police chicken suppliers within its borders. (Audio)

LATER: How many other Oklahoma media executives or reporters have contributed to Drew Edmondson's campaigns?

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, Poultry Lawsuit

Posted at 11:49 AM |   

KSWO owner & station manager each gave contributions to Drew Edmondson in 2006 - on Valentine's Day.

Lawton television station KSWO's slogan "you can count on us" is proudly displayed at the top of the station's website. An Oklahoma Political News Service investigation reveals that you may not be able to "count on" KSWO - or any other Oklahoma media outlet - for unbiased coverage concerning Attorney General Drew Edmondson and the ongoing "Poultrygate" scandal.

We have been chronicling the amazing spectacle of a major scandal occurring right underneath the Oklahoma press' noses and their seemingly ambivalence towards uncovering the truth. A search of the KSWO website search engine revealed one entry for "Drew Edmondson" - a puff piece dated January 17th of Edmondson investigating complaints of price gouging after the recent ice storms. We even typed in "Poultry Lawsuit" with zero results and "Poultry" brought back Thanksgiving recipes. Recent campaign reports for the Attorney General show contributions from the station's owner Bill Drewry and the station manager Larry Patton. Mr. Patton even uses KSWO's P. O. Box as his "address for the contributor."

We do note that Messrs. Drewry and Patton have every right to engage themselves in our political system through financial participation, we only question the propriety of a news organization - which is supposedly unbiased and neutral -having its management contributing to political campaigns? It begs the question; will journalists be more reluctant to report a story if they know their superiors have contributed financially to the subject of an unflattering report?

The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics says that journalists should "avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived," "remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility," and "shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity."

The Attorney General's two opponents needed the contribution a lot more than he did. Edmondson out raised his nearest opponent James Dunn nearly three to one and garnered almost two thirds of the vote this past November. (61.19% to 38.81%)

Tomorrow: How many other Oklahoma media executives or reporters have contributed to Drew Edmondson's campaigns?

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, Poultry Lawsuit, Press Bias

Posted at 6:32 PM |   

As predicted here yesterday, top state media labored to minimize the damage to Attorney General Drew Edmondson. Most did exactly what we said they would do: ignore the story altogether, as is the case with the Oklahoman. A quick scan of the paper's Internet site found no mentions of the the story.

As for the Tulsa World, they missed the point of the federal hearing altogether. Reporter Curtis Killman, who "covers" the poultry issue, completely ignored the implications of the hearing, as outlined here yesterday. Killman and the World made sure that readers are not subjected to the messy little details in the Marie West lawsuit, the ticking time bomb which threatens the poultry suit. That's like a newspaper sending a reporter to the Super Bowl and getting a story about Prince's new shoes.

So all in all, the Edmondson apologists had a pretty good day: ignore, obfuscate, miss the point and, most of all, refuse to tell the whole truth.

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, OK Media, Poultry Lawsuit

Posted at 8:39 AM |   

The state's major newspapers and wire services face a quandary today. For months, the state's top press organizations have all but ignored allegations of corruption in Democrat Attorney General Drew Edmondson's office in connection with the poultry lawsuits. Today, their attempt to shield Oklahomans from the truth gets harder.

The Oklahoma Political News Service reported in December that Mike Turpin attempted to kill an unflattering report by Oklahoma City television reporter Ali Myer. Meyer embarrassed Oklahoma's lazy capitol and print reporters with her monumental 10-minute piece on how the lure of riches prompted abuses of power by top officials in the attorney general's office. The capitol press corps' response to being owned by a TV reporter was to pretend it didn't happen.


A report such as Myer's in almost any other state in America would have resulted in a press frenzy, and certainly investigations by authoritative figures, especially considering that Democrat political hack Mike Turpen, who stands to make millions of dollars from the poultry suits, tried but failed to kill the story. To our knowledge, not even one press organization even attempted to investigate Myer's claims, or even Turpen's outrageous attempt to muzzle a respected reporter.

Even more curious was the lack of response from state Republican officials, which many seasoned political observers simply chalked up to inexperience and fear of Edmondson.

Despite the fact that arguably the nation's worst press corps continues to ignore a potential scandal with national implications, the poultry cases could begin to unravel today in Tulsa federal court. The allegations of corruption on a massive scale, (and some other actions by AG officials so unbelievably grotesque that decorum does not allow us to present the information here) did not escape the attention of the lawyers representing the Arkansas poultry companies. They want Edmondson back under oath so that they may pursue the myriad of misdeeds that Myer's report exposed.

So while the state's major media sees, hears and speaks no evil on today, OKPNS readers can get a preview of the fireworks. Click here to see the pleadings that Edmondson and his allies in the media don't want you to know about. Especially note how that they couldn't buy West's cooperation, and how the AG attempted to get West to destroy public documents, which is what happens when a public official knows the press won't lift a finger to expose him.

Click here to read Tyson's Motion to Compel.

Excerpt:

One of the conditions that the Attorney General attached to his settlement offer was that Ms. West "would have to take confidential documents and have them destroyed."

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, OK Media, Poultry Lawsuit

Posted at 5:55 AM |   

Oklahoma Political News Service sources say former Attorney General Mike Turpen conducted a frantic effort to kill a KFOR story that ran Tuesday night which brought forth shocking allegations against current Attorney General Drew Edmondson.

Ironically, Turpen, who is a regular political commentator on KFOR programming, failed to stop reporter Ali Myers' report, which ran nearly ten minutes.

The story alleges that Edmondson and others in the AG's office committed outrageous abuses of power, including harassment and firings of employees to further his controversial poultry lawsuit.

Turpen, whose firm made millions representing Edmondson in the state tobacco settlement, is also involved in the poultry lawsuit, and stands to reap millions more if Edmondson prevails in those proceedings.

So why did a Turpen risk his reputation to try and thwart the 1st Amendment. Sources tell OKPNS to follow the money. "If their poultry scam is unmasked, it'll cost Turpen millions. He's just plain freaked out that his own station would do this."

The broadcast represents a huge setback to Edmondson and Turpen, who up until last night's report have avoided any serious journalistic inquiries into their lawsuit. The poultry industry's inept public relations and legal campaign, in combination with arguably one of the worst press corps in America, had worked in Edmondson's favor. But all that changed last night. Sources say Myer's report will give the press and reluctant policy makers the courage necessary to investigate the troubling reports that many have heard about for years, but few have investigated.

Update: The story can now be viewed and read on the KFOR website.

Labels: AG, Drew Edmondson, Poultry Lawsuit

Posted at 3:48 AM |