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Statewide political scandal hits home
By John M. Wylie II, Publisher
Copyright 2016 Oologah Lake Leader
The Republican candidate for the state senate seat representing the Oologah-Talala area, Julie Daniels, has paid almost one-fifth of her total campaign expenditures to a consultant who was charged Thursday in Oklahoma County with three felonies, records show.
The campaign owes the consultant another $500 under its contract, and $5,000 on top of that if she wins Tuesday, Daniels said, “and that will bring it to a close.”
She said she never would have hired the consultant had she known he was under investigation and would have terminated the campaign’s agreement had she found out.
The consultant, Fount Holland, a principal in AH Strategies, was charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony and one count of violation of the state Computer Crimes Act, court records show.
The charges are not connected in any way with his involvement in the Daniels campaign, records show.
He was one of five people, including State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hoffmeister, who was charged by Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater after an almost two year investigation.
Hoffmeister faces an additional charge of knowingly receiving excessive campaign contributions as well as the other three counts, while Holland and the other three defendants face the same set of three charges.
Court documents described the charges as stemming from what it depicted as a wide-ranging scheme to exceed campaign contribution limits and illegally coordinate campaign activities with those of a supposedly independent committee whose donation sources did not have to be disclosed.
Such committees are often referred to in politics as using “dark money” because of the non-disclosure allowances.
According to its campaign finance report filed Oct. 28 with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission, Daniels’ campaign spent $16,500 or 18.4 percent of its reported total expenditures of $87,572.80 with AH.
AH and Holland are well known in political consulting circles, but the Daniels campaign appears to be the only local race in which they are involved.
Daniels said late Friday, “I entered into a consulting agreement with AH Strategies in July 2015. I owe the firm a $500 fee for November and will pay a final $5,000 if I am elected on Tuesday.
“I will fulfill these obligations under the agreement, and that will bring it to a close.
“At no time did I have any inkling that Mr. Holland was under investigation. The charges were a complete surprise to me.
“I would not have contracted with AH Strategies had I known any of their group was under investigation. I would have terminated our agreement had I found out.
“If these allegations are proved to be true, it will make me very sad. Mr. Holland is an able consultant, and both he and the staffer assigned to my account have been a pleasure to work with over these past 18 months.”
Daniels, of Bartlesville, faces Democrat Robert Jobe of Delaware for the seat being vacated by Senator John Ford, who is retiring due to term limits.
Daniels General Election campaign finance report shows $39,510.52 for the period from Aug. 9 to Oct. 24 with none of the money coming from Rogers County.
Jobe’s report showed that $2,600 of the $5,400, or more than 48 percent, of the money he has raised during the general election reporting period came from Rogers County addresses.
Late Friday, the Oklahoma Democratic Party said in a statement:
“Recently indicted Republican School Superintendent Hofmeister has been jumping into legislative races, endorsing Republican candidates and their weak, phony education message for months. Hofmeister’s indictment on conspiracy to commit campaign contribution violation, should tell voters that her endorsements are based on pure, partisan politics.
“Charges have also been filed against Republican political consultant Fount Holland who per his website, has represented more than 100 Oklahoma Republican officials. Donald Trump’s Oklahoma volunteer coordinator, Stephanie Milligan and officer of Alexander Companies, formed by a former lobbyist who worked with Holland, has also been listed in the indictment.
“Legal papers filed by…Prater, state that they allegedly took part in funneling corporate money through education lobbying groups into a dark money group.
“Holland has faced a previous investigation involving illegal conspiracy with political candidates.
“Oklahomans continue to suffer at the hands of unethical and criminally negligent behavior among Republicans and those claiming to be working for our children and education.”
Hoffmeister held a media briefing Thursday evening in which she said she was innocent of any wrongdoing and would vigorously defend herself and her campaign.
Holland could not be reached for comment, and court records did not show whether he had yet appeared before a judge.
A warrant was issued for his arrest, but he was not listed by the Oklahoma County Jail among inmates it was holding.