Connect with us

News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

Oklahoma Treasurer’s Office Faces Scrutiny Over Use of Signal in Anti-ESG Coordination

Published

on

oklahomawatch.org – Paul Monies – 2025-04-22 06:00:00

The chief of staff for Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ used messaging app Signal to communicate and coordinate policy with groups opposed to environmental, social and governance standards, according to an open records lawsuit. 

In a deposition taken in February, Chief of Staff Jordan Harvey said she used the app in late 2022 and early 2023. At the time, the newly elected treasurer was figuring out how to implement the Oklahoma Energy Discrimination Elimination Act. The law directs the treasurer to create a list of prohibited financial firms for state or local vendors who had corporate policies perceived to be hostile to fossil fuels. 

Harvey said she has Signal installed on a personal cell phone. She received briefing documents on Signal from organizations opposed to ESG efforts that she then forwarded to personal and work email addresses. That was before she was issued a state cell phone, Harvey said in the deposition. Selected portions of the deposition were filed as an exhibit in the lawsuit in March. 

Signal allows any party in a conversation to set the messages to self-delete after a certain time period. The messaging app has been central to revelations in the past month that high-level members of the Trump administration used the app to plan and coordinate war efforts, with a reporter included in the chat

“I set my communication not to delete,” Harvey said in the deposition about her personal use of Signal. “The other person or people on the thread have the same ability to set the deletion time period. And then all parties on that thread are subject to that.” 

Harvey said the treasurer’s officer turned over the documents she received on Signal under an open records request. She said the office could not provide the related messages from Signal because they disappeared by the time the records request was made in July 2023. 

Records already provided by the treasurer’s office show that Harvey sent an email to the governor’s office in May 2023 with documents attached referencing Net-Zero Asset Managers Alliance emissions goals and questions. 

“These are from our friends in DC that came about 2 months ago to meet with Treasurer Russ and the Governor,” the email said. “They are a little more targeted questions.” 

In the deposition, Harvey said that email referenced three groups active in the anti-ESG efforts across the country: State Financial Officers Foundation, Heritage Action for America and Consumers’ Research Inc. 

That trio of anti-ESG groups are now opposing efforts by the plaintiff, Alabama-based FOIA Professional Services LLC, to have them produce their sides of the Signal messages to Harvey. 

Attorneys for the State Financial Officers Foundation, Heritage Action for America and Consumers’ Research Inc. asked Oklahoma’s attorney general for help in quashing subpoenas for records. They argued the groups were engaging in protected political speech when they communicated with officials from the treasurer’s office and they were being dragged into a dispute where they are not covered by the Oklahoma Open Records Act. 

“Plaintiff’s attempt to gain access to withheld documents from nongovernmental sources through these subpoenas is the definition of a backdoor attempt to evade the ORA prior to any court decision on applicable exemptions and privileges,” the attorney general’s office wrote in an April 8 court filing

The treasurer’s office, through a spokeswoman, said it does not comment on active litigation. 

It is unknown for whom FOIA Professional Services was working when it requested the records from the treasurer’s office in July 2023. The organization filed the open records lawsuit in Oklahoma County district court in October. 

“Our clients range from small businesses and government contractors to law firms and Fortune 500 companies,” the company said on its website. “However, we are a fully confidential service. Our clients’ names are not available and their requests are made 100% anonymously.” 

Approved Messaging Apps? 

The Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services said there’s no statewide list of approved apps for state devices. Those decisions are left to individual agencies, spokeswoman Christa Helfrey said last week. 

“Policies and procedures are in place for all applicable agencies, including but not limited to CIO (chief information officer) standards and the Open Records Act,” Helfrey said. “Agencies can also create additional policies and procedures specific to that agency.” 

The attorney general’s office said it reminds public agencies and employees that apart from a few exceptions, records regarding government business on personal devices are subject to the law. In response to media questions in late 2023, it advised against using third-party messaging apps.

“The Office of the Attorney General strongly discourages public officials from using third-party messaging applications when communicating about public business,” the statement said. “Electronic communications such as emails and text messages that concern public business are records under the Open Records Act. It does not matter whether an electronic communication is on a personal or public device. If the communication concerns public business and is not exempt from production or able to be kept confidential, then it must be produced on request.” 

When an Oklahoma Watch reporter asked Gov. Kevin Stitt about using Signal last month, he claimed not to know much about the app and joked that he wasn’t tech-savvy. But Stitt said he sometimes used another messaging app, WhatsApp, to communicate with contacts in other countries. 

“I do have WhatsApp, so if I’m traveling overseas, that seems to be the method over there,” Stitt said at a March 26 news conference at the Capitol. “I still get phone calls from some of the Asian folks we met when I was over there. That seems to be how they contact me. But that’s the only messaging app that I have on my personal phone. I’ve never Signaled; I don’t know what Signal is.” 

Enforcement of the Energy Discrimination Elimination Act is on hold after a retiree, Don Keenan, challenged its constitutionality and what he called political interference in the state’s pension plans. Keenan is a retiree getting a pension from the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System. Trustees for the system took an exemption to the anti-ESG law in August 2023 so it wouldn’t have to divest up to $6 billion in investments with BlackRock Inc., one of the companies on Oklahoma’s restricted financial companies list.  
Oklahoma County District Judge Sheila Stinson issued a permanent injunction in September, prohibiting enforcement of the law. The attorney general is appealing that order to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Oklahoma Treasurer’s Office Faces Scrutiny Over Use of Signal in Anti-ESG Coordination appeared first on oklahomawatch.org

Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Assessment: Center-Left

The content primarily discusses a case involving the Oklahoma Treasurer’s office’s use of the messaging app Signal to coordinate against environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. This focus on scrutinizing the actions of government officials, especially regarding their ties to anti-ESG groups, indicates a stance that is critical of conservative policies that favor fossil fuel interests. The mention of groups like the State Financial Officers Foundation and Heritage Action for America, known for their opposition to ESG principles, suggests an alignment with more progressive or left-leaning viewpoints, particularly concerning environmental accountability and transparency in government actions. The overall tone and content suggest a preference for transparency in governance, especially when policies impact social and environmental standards, which aligns with center-left ideology.

News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

Family sues Roblox, accusing them of failing to protect kids from predators

Published

on

www.youtube.com – KFOR Oklahoma’s News 4 – 2025-09-02 23:17:25

SUMMARY: An Oklahoma family is suing Roblox, accusing the popular gaming platform of failing to protect children from predators. The suit centers on a 12-year-old girl allegedly groomed and sexually extorted by a man posing as a 15-year-old boy. According to court documents, the predator coerced the girl into sending explicit photos, threatened to kill her family, and manipulated her using Roblox’s digital currency. The family claims Roblox is a “hunting ground for child predators” and profits from these dangers. Roblox states it has safeguards and recently announced plans to better detect risks. The lawsuit does not specify damages sought.

Family sues Roblox, accusing them of failing to protect kids from predators

Stay informed about Oklahoma news and weather! Follow KFOR News 4 on our website and social channels.

https://kfor.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/kfor4news
https://www.facebook.com/kfor4
https://twitter.com/kfor
https://www.instagram.com/kfortv4/

Source

Continue Reading

News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

Thousands of State Employees Still Working Remotely

Published

on

oklahomawatch.org – Paul Monies – 2025-09-02 06:00:00


Over 8,500 Oklahoma state employees work remotely at least part-time, mainly due to limited office space. Following Gov. Kevin Stitt’s December executive order mandating a return to the office, agencies show varied telework rates. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s remote work rose from 12% to 59% amid office renovations, while the Department of Environmental Quality reduced remote work from 30% to 1%, complying fully with the order. The Department of Human Services still has over 80% teleworking due to space shortages. Exceptions to the return-to-office policy include off-hours workers, field employees, and those needing additional office space. About 30% of state employees telework overall.

More than 8,500 state employees are working remotely at least some of the time, with the arrangement mostly from a lack of space at agencies. 

The Office of Management and Enterprise Services compiled the latest numbers after a December executive order issued by Gov. Kevin Stitt mandating a return to the office for state employees. 

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Department of Environmental Quality went in opposite directions on remote work in the second quarter report. Just 12% of employees at the Corporation Commission were on remote work in the first quarter. That jumped to 59% in the second quarter. The agency has relocated as its longtime office, the Jim Thorpe Building, undergoes renovations. 

Brandy Wreath, director of administration for the Corporation Commission, said the agency has a handful of experienced employees in its public utility division who work out of state and were hired on a telework basis. Some other employees are working remotely because of doctor’s orders limiting their interactions. The agency got rid of space and offices in the Jim Thorpe Building before the renovations started. The building project is expected to be completed in the next six months. 

“At Jim Thorpe, we were right-sized for everyone to be in the office,” Wreath said. “Whenever we moved to Will Rogers, we are in temporary space, and we don’t have enough space for everyone to be in every day.” 

Wreath said the Corporation Commission uses the state’s Workday system that has codes for employees to use when they are logged in and working remotely. Employees also know they are subject to random activity audits. 

“We’re supportive of the idea of having employees in the workplace and willing to serve,” Wreath said. “We also realize the value of having employees in rural Oklahoma and still being a part of the state structure. Our goal is to make sure our employees are productive, no matter where they are working. We are supportive of return-to-office, and we are utilizing the tools OMES has given us to ensure the state is getting its money’s worth.” 

The Department of Environmental Quality now has just 1% of its employees working remotely. That’s down from 30% in the first quarter. Spokeswoman Erin Hatfield said the agency, with 527 employees, is in full compliance with the executive order. Seven employees are on telework, with all but one on temporary telework status as they recover from medical issues.  

There are three exceptions to the return-to-office policy: employees whose hours are outside normal business hours; employees who already work in the field; and when new or additional office space would have to be acquired at additional cost. 

The Department of Human Services continued to have more than 80% of its 6,060 employees on some type of telework, according to the second quarter report. The agency said those numbers stemmed mostly from a lack of available office space. DHS closed dozens of county offices or found other agency office space for its employees to use in the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a huge shift to remote work.  

The latest telework report covers 29,250 of the state’s 31,797 employees. About 30% of employees were on some version of telework in the second quarter. Dozens of agencies did not submit quarterly reports to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.

Paul Monies has been a reporter with Oklahoma Watch since 2017 and covers state agencies and public health. Contact him at (571) 319-3289 or pmonies@oklahomawatch.org. Follow him on Twitter @pmonies. 



Support our publication


Every day we strive to produce journalism that matters — stories that strengthen accountability and transparency, provide value and resonate with readers like you.


This work is essential to a better-informed community and a healthy democracy. But it isn’t possible without your support.

Creative Commons License

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

The post Thousands of State Employees Still Working Remotely appeared first on oklahomawatch.org

Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This content provides a fact-based report on the remote work status of Oklahoma state employees following an executive order from Governor Kevin Stitt. It presents information from multiple state agencies with no apparent favor or criticism of the executive order or political figures involved. The tone is neutral and focuses on the practical reasons and outcomes of remote work policies, reflecting a balanced approach without clear ideological leanings.

Continue Reading

News from the South - Oklahoma News Feed

Test taker finds it's impossible to fail 'woke' teacher assessment

Published

on

www.youtube.com – KFOR Oklahoma’s News 4 – 2025-09-02 04:17:31

SUMMARY: Oklahoma’s “America First” teacher qualification test aims to weed out “woke” educators from states like California and New York, focusing on civics, parental rights, and biology. However, many find it nearly impossible to fail. Test-takers, including independent publisher Ashley, report multiple attempts allowed per question, enabling passing regardless of knowing answers, often by guessing until correct. Average Oklahomans tested struggled with the questions, highlighting the test’s difficulty and questionable effectiveness. Critics say the test’s ease defeats its purpose of ensuring teacher knowledge. The state superintendent’s office was contacted for comment but had yet to respond.

Test taker finds it’s impossible to fail ‘woke’ teacher assessment

Stay informed about Oklahoma news and weather! Follow KFOR News 4 on our website and social channels.

https://kfor.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/kfor4news
https://www.facebook.com/kfor4
https://twitter.com/kfor
https://www.instagram.com/kfortv4/

Source

Continue Reading

Trending