University of Oklahoma (David Boren’s Campus) Obstructing a Federal Investigation

Michael P. Wright — Norman, Oklahoma — mpwright8@aol.com

For review, David Boren was a U.S. Senator from Oklahoma from 1979 until he resigned from his third term, two years before it expired, in 1994. In 1993 gay activists had begun to out him and accuse him of sexually harassing his male staff members. For examples of gay publications with this information, see this youtube video and the link to excerpts in the accompanying text box:

Boren resigned from the Senate after successfully persuading the University of Oklahoma regents into naming him president of that school, where he remains today. The news of the accusations being made by the gay activists never surfaced in the mainstream press.

For several years Boren was Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to which he named George Tenet as chief of staff in 1987. Boren is widely known as the mentor and sponsor of Tenet, who in 1997 was appointed to be CIA director.

In April 2008 Boren, historically a right-wing Democrat, Skull and Bones member, and good friend of the Bush family, angered his conservative supporters in Oklahoma by endorsing Obama for the Democratic nomination. Boren has been longing for a ticket to return to Washington and has used OU as a base for building influence with various nationally prominent politicians ever since his 1994 resignation from the Senate. It’s obvious that his Obama endorsement was motivated by an expectation that Obama would win and a desire for a Cabinet appointment or ambassadorship.

OU TRIES TO OBSTRUCT FEDERAL INVESTIGATION

Yesterday, a confidential contact on the OU faculty forwarded to me an email from A&S Dean Paul Bell. He sent it to the chairs and directors on the Norman campus. In short, it appears that Boren is being investigated by the feds for something, possibly an Obama appointment, or maybe a crime.

In any event, the OU administration is trying to obstruct the investigation.

Bell tells recipients of the email that if contacted by an investigator, inform the Office of Legal Counsel. He adds: "No one is authorized to give University documents to government officials except the Office of Legal Counsel."

OU is a PUBLIC university. Legally, ALL of its records are open to the public, except certain aspects of personnel files and student transcripts and other private information about individual students.

I suggest that journalists contact Bell immediately, invoke the Oklahoma Open Records Act, and ask for a copy of the email he sent. Additionally contact Provost Nancy Mergler ( nmergler@ou.edu ).

If they obstruct you, that in itself is an interesting story.

If either of them sends the email, from an OU email address, then you would be in a position to ask what the investigation is all about.

They’ll squirm and be evasive, but that’s a good story too.
Bell’s email is appended.

From: "Bell, Paul B. Jr." pbell@ou.edu
Date: November 21, 2008 4:42:33 PM CST
To: "CAS - Chairs & Directors (Norman)" caschair@net.ou.edu, "CAS - VIPs
(Norman)" casvips@net.ou.edu
Subject: Procedures to follow if you are approached by a government agent

I have been asked by the Provost to remind all members of the University faculty and staff of the procedures to follow if you are approached by a government agent. Specifically, no employee should release any information without approval from the OU Office of Legal Counsel. Faculty and staff, who are contacted by a federal agent, should inform their chair/director and the chair/director should contact the Office of Legal Counsel. No one is authorized to give University documents to government officials except the Office of Legal Counsel.

The Office of Legal Counsel provides the following guidelines for employees:
“Employees should follow these procedures if a government investigator, auditor or agents contacts them:

• Verify identify: Ask the investigator or auditor for identification and check it.

• Place Two calls: Tell the investigator or auditor it is the University’s policy that you make two calls first.

1. Call your supervisor. You may ask the investigator or auditor to talk to your supervisor.

2. Call the Director of Compliance at 271-2511 or the Office of General Counsel at 325-4124. You may ask the investigator or auditor to talk with the Director of compliance or the General Counsel.

You do not have to talk to the investigator or auditor if you do not want. The University is not instructing you not to talk to the investigator or auditor; however, you are not under any obligation to talk to them.

Until it is determined who or what is the subject of the investigation or audit, as a matter of sound advice, it is usually not in an employee’s best interest to talk with an investigator or auditor without an attorney present. Simply tell the investigator or auditor that you want the interview to be terminated until an attorney is present.”

The full text of the University of Oklahoma Compliance and Quality Improvement Program, including § 6.10, “Employee Response to Investigations/Audits,” is available at:

http://www.ouhsc.edu/compliance/com...

Please share this information with the members of your faculty and staff. - pb

Paul B. Bell, Jr., Ph.D.
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences; Vice Provost for Instruction; and Professor of Zoology
The University of Oklahoma
Ellison Hall, 633 Elm Ave., Room 323
Norman, OK 73019-3118
phone: 405-325-2077
fax: 405-325-7709
email: pbell@ou.edu

Suite:
– Part II: University of Oklahoma (David Boren’s Campus) Attempts to Obstruct a Federal Investigation