Oklahoma Attorney General Drummond says his battle skills will help him fight for taxpayer

The walls of Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s spacious new office are still bare six weeks after being sworn in, the sign of a man who has been more focused on hiring lawyers and taking on investigations than picking out photos and artwork.

His desk is similarly stark except for a few shuffled papers and a small stack of books, topped by “At War with Corruption,” by Michael Hightower.

The book is a biography of Bill Price, the former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

But its title could have served as Drummond’s 2022 campaign slogan. The Tulsa attorney, rancher and former fighter pilot spent the last year pledging to clean up a state he believed was teeming with abuses of power, foreign drug cartels, and public officials playing fast and loose with taxpayer money.

“I don’t think (this office) has been properly and fully utilized in the past. It hasn’t had a leader,” Drummond told The Oklahoman during a recent interview. “I've been trained as a military combat leader, I’ve been trained as a civilian business leader, I’ve been trained as a complex litigator, and I am taking those skill sets and bringing them to the table.”

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Since entering office last month, Drummond, a Republican, has taken on multiple investigations with connections to the governor or his Cabinet members. He said those cases required the prosecutorial muscle only the attorney general’s office could provide.

Drummond also has hired a first assistant with foreign crime experience, part of his plan to aggressively target illegal marijuana operations, many of which law enforcement believes are backed by Chinese and Mexican cartels.

With an open seat for governor on the ballot in four years, political observers already have labeled Drummond as a likely candidate.

Drummond hasn't denied aspirations for higher office in the future, but has said his current focus is squarely on his work as attorney general.

“What’s next for me is the next 202 weeks,” Drummond responded when asked if he planned to run for governor in 2026. “I have six (weeks) down, I’ve got 202 to go. I’ve just got to stay focused on that.”

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Drummond, who narrowly lost his first race for attorney general four years ago, broke through last year after beating incumbent John O’Connor in the Republican primary.

Drummond regularly accused O’Connor, appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt, of having too cozy a relationship with the governor.

Trebor Worthen, who volunteered on Drummond's campaign and is now his chief of staff, managed a dark money organization that regularly attacked Stitt.

And If the election created animosity between Drummond and Stitt, the last several weeks haven't done much to change that.

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Drummond has taken over an investigation into federal pandemic relief funds that were controlled by the governor. Stitt blamed a vendor for allowing the fraudulent expenses, but Drummond said the misconduct was caused by "state actors," a possible reference to the governor and Ryan Walters, Stitt's secretary of education and newly elected state schools superintendent.

Drummond also has taken over an investigation into contracts between the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department and Swadley's Bar-B-Q, which led to cost overruns and appeared to skirt state bidding laws.

Again, Stitt blamed a private company, but the scandal led to the resignation of his appointed tourism director.

This month, Drummond accused Stitt of illegally appointing members to the Oklahoma Veterans Commission, although he took no legal action.

Despite Drummond's cases and comments, Stitt has denied any hostility between him and the attorney general, saying they regularly talk and recently had lunch together at the Governor's Mansion.

"I think the relationship is good, and as long as we are all moving forward to make Oklahoma a Top 10 state and hold these agencies accountable, we're going to be in lockstep," Stitt said.

Drummond also downplayed any perceived strife between him and the governor.

"I think it reads well and it makes people curious with your articles, (but) I don't see that there is a political rivalry," Drummond told The Oklahoman. "That we might in the future be political rivals has absolutely no bearing on my activity."

But when asked about potential scandals within state government, Drummond appeared to reference the governor, a former businessman who had no political experience before his election in 2018.

“What I have observed is a lack of awareness of the fiduciary duty that state actors must have," Drummond said. "What we are seeing is businessmen and women coming into the executive area that are used to taking risks with their own money, their own company's (money) ... but that is different than (serving in) government office.

"(In) government service, this is not my money. These are not my people. These are the state’s employees. These are the state’s dollars. In this instance, my observation is we haven't put the needs of the taxpayer of the state of Oklahoma first.”

Foreign-backed illegal marijuana operations are a target for Drummond

In his first weeks as attorney general, Drummond has hired new heads of the criminal and civil divisions, as well as a new solicitor general and general counsel.

Overseeing those four attorneys is Amie Ely, Drummond's new first assistant who was previously a prosecutor in the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York.

“She will bring a skillset towards international crime syndicates, which we need in Oklahoma," said Drummond, referring to illegal marijuana growing operations, some of which have ties to Chinese and Mexican operations.

“To make an impact on these syndicated criminals, we can't just pull up their marijuana plants; we've got to take back the land, take back the guns, take back the vehicles, and then we’ve got to be able to trace the money and take the money."

Drummond acknowledged tracking international criminals is complex and time-consuming work, which is why he said he's determined to not let slow decision-making clog his office.

As a former captain in the U.S. Air Force, Drummond said his military experience has instilled in him a commitment to firm structures and clear orders.

“I think the complaint that I've heard about previous (attorney general) administrations is (staff) will do all this work and compile all this information, and then there is no decision," Drummond said. "It's a week, two weeks, a month, and then a year before something happens, but we are not doing that now.

"You give me the information, facts and the law, I am going to give you an answer and we are going to get to work."

Update: Trebor Worthen's position with Drummond’s campaign was misidentified in earlier publication and has been corrected.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma Attorney General Drummond on future, priorities and Stitt