Kevin Stitt, the Republican Governor of Oklahoma, faced a tough question about his alleged corruption during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.
A former businessman, Stitt is the 28th governor of Oklahoma, having won the office in the 2018 midterms. He is currently seeking reelection and is facing Democratic nominee Joy Hofmeister, the state’s longtime Superintendent of Public Instruction. Previously a Republican, she switched parties last year prior to announcing her run for governor.
Hofmeister recently received a significant and unexpected endorsement from J.C. Watts, a former congressman who represented Oklahoma’s 4th District from 1995 to 2003, as well as chairing the House Republican Conference from 1999 to 2003. In a new ad, Watts explained that he remains a Republican but cannot put trust in Stitt as governor.
“I was a Republican then, and I’m a Republican now, and, friends, I’m voting for Joy Hofmeister,” Watts said in the ad. “All this scandal and corruption is just too much. Joy is a woman of faith and integrity. She’ll always put Oklahoma first. I know Joy personally, and I trust her, and you can too.”
Screenshot/Fox News
During Stitt’s Fox News appearance, host Shannon Beam pressed him for a response to the allegations of corruption against him, including that his government mishandled $31 million in COVID relief funds. Additionally, there is a criminal investigation underway into state contracts with a barbeque restaurant, and Hofmeister has also accused Stitt of funneling taxpayer money into his own businesses.
In a clip shared to Twitter by journalist Aaron Rupar, Stitt fails to directly address the allegations against him as laid out by Beam. Instead, he decried “special interests” that he said are attempting to boost Hofmeister’s candidacy, while also claiming that Paycom, a company that Watts is part of the Board of Directors for, is part of the group attempting to “buy this election.”
He further likened them to the “George Soros company of Oklahoma,” echoing right-wing conspiracy about the noted left-wing businessman and philanthropist. Conspiracies about Soros have become increasingly mainstream in conservative politics in recent years, owing to his considerable donations made to progressive and liberal causes, and have frequently been criticized as anti-Semitic.
“Again, Oklahomans are too smart,” Stitt said. “This is an election season. With $50 million in special interests trying to buy this election for my opponent, of course they’re gonna be coming out with that stuff… But Oklahomans can see through that, and I think that’s why Americans are so disappointed with the lies, the chaos, and the distrust of some of the polls and some of the things that are going on.”
When pressed a second time for a specific response to each allegation, Stitt merely expressed pride in his past business successes.
Newsweek reached out to Stitt’s office for comment.
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