OKGOP Faces 2nd FEC Audit In 5 Years

   A reliable source in the Oklahoma Republican Party tells Sooner Politics that the Federal Election Commission has officially notified the OKGOP that an audit of the state's largest political party is now commencing. Just 5 years ago, the FEC also conducted a similar audit and cost the OKGOP a 6-figure sum of money in fines, assessments, and associated expenses. 
  The previous audit focused on a time period of Chairmen Dave Weston (2013-2015) and Randy Brogdon (2015).
  The current audit focuses on a time period of Chairmen Pam Pollard(2015-2019) and David McLain(2019-2021). 
  Sooner Politics is also investigating a federal sanction against the OKGOP relating to failure to report and submit employee tax withholding in recent years.
 Other recent reports to Sooner Politics say that financial irregularities were discovered by the financial team of current Chairman John Bennett, in April & May of this year. relating to unaccounted-for bank withdrawals shortly after John Bennett took over for departing Chairman David McLain, on April 10th.

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  Reports say that Bennett was slow to set up his administration and didn't have banking access until early in May. But the questionable withdrawals were made in April and sources say a 5-figure sum of money is still unaccounted for.  No report of this was ever presented to the State Committee.
​   John Bennett is said to have decided to keep the matter quiet, but his reasons are still not clear.

Who Runs The OKGOP?

  According to the OKGOP charter bylaws, the OKGOP State Committee is the supreme authority of the party(when not in convention), but the State Committee seems to be discontinuing their tradition of quarterly meetings. In fact, the State Committee has only convened 3 times in the past 27 months; and only once since John Bennett became chairman. Bennett immediately took the unprecedented action of blocking party members from attending the meeting as nonvoting guests.
  A State Committee meeting can be called by the chairman (John Bennett), vice chairman (Shane Jemison), National Committeeman (Steve Curry), National Committeewoman (Pam Pollard), or by a signed petition of 1/4 of the current 400+ member State Committee. An Agenda of business must be listed in the 'call', and a 10-day notice made to all members of the State Committee.
  The State Committee of the OKGOP consists of 4 delegates from each organized county party organization in Oklahoma's 77 counties, as well as Republicans elected in partisan races in state & federal govt.  
  There are nearly 150 members of the State Committee who serve at the State Capitol, alone. the Republican Caucus of the legislature could call a State Committee meeting and set the meeting agenda, if they chose to.

  The OKGOP Central Committee consists of 4 members (chair, vice chair, and the two national committee members). It's duties are limited to day-to-day operations oversight, but not policy matters or positions of the state party.  John Bennett did not hold a Central Committee meeting until very late in June. Previous chairmen have commonly held a central committee meeting within a week after the state biennial convention(held last April 10th).  Accessing party resources (properties, funds, communications) is a fundamental function of the Central Committee.

Numerous resignations have recently occurred in John Bennett's selected administrative team. Among them are the Finance & Budget directors, executive director, & legal counsel. Several insiders point to failures in Bennett's administrative attention as a cause for the departures.