Oklahoma Ethics Commission pursuing Walters for campaign finance violations
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Ethics Commission will pursue an ethics complaint against state Superintendent Ryan Walters in district court and plans to settle other complaints outside the courtroom, the agency’s director said on March 13.
Following the commission’s March 13 meeting, Executive Director Lee Anne Bruce Boone said the body will pursue in the Oklahoma County District Court alleged violations of campaign finance rules from Walters’ 2022 election committee, Walters for State Superintendent 2022 Committee. Records do not state what specific violation Walters is alleged to have committed and it did not appear a case had been filed Thursday afternoon.
Bruce Boone said the commission will also be working to reach a settlement agreement for a second case stemming from Walters’ use of state resources and his social media account to advocate for Republican President Donald Trump’s election.
A spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Grace Kim, said in a statement that Walters has “always committed” to following guidelines and transparency.
“No information has been provided to Superintendent Walters on any perceived issue regarding any new matter,” she said.
While ethics complaints are not usually public, the Ethics Commission voted in January to release two reports on investigations into Walters because they were “in the public interest.”
The commission first authorized an investigation into alleged violations of campaign finance rules in October, according to the first report.
The board requested further documents for their investigation with a subpoena, which Walters’ legal representation said in a written response they would not provide because they believed the matter was already resolved, the request was too broad and there were no responsive documents.
The commission followed up with a second subpoena.
Walters had signed a separate settlement agreement in March 2024 which settled “outstanding Compliance Orders” for the late filing of several campaign finance reports, according to the released report.
The second investigation surrounds Walters’ social media posts and cites several posts and publications made in 2024, according to a second report released by the commission.
The Ethics Commission alleged Walters posted materials using state funds, property or time to advocate for a candidate for elected office.
The investigation report includes posts from his X account during the 2024 presidential election, both in favor of President Donald Trump and against then-Vice President Kamala Harris, where he includes his official title of “superintendent” in his displayed name. Harris at the time was running as the Democratic nominee for U.S. president.
Walters is also accused of using state letterhead to condemn what he called the “Hamas War Against Israel,” and wrote that Trump, who was seeking a second term in the White House, offered Israel better relations with the United States than Democratic President Joe Biden, according to publicly released Ethics Commission records.
Another post, from the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s official X account, shows “migrant children climbing over a wall at the border,” which the Ethics Commission said “gives the impression the State Department of Education does not support Joe Biden’s presidency and is advocating his defeat.”
The parameters of the settlement for the social media cases are unknown. Bruce Boone said the settlement is able to be made public once it is signed.
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