Oklahoma Lawmakers Caught on Mic Joking About Sexual Misconduct

A pair of Oklahoma legislators were caught making light of an on-going sexual misconduct investigation before a press conference earlier this month.

Fox 25 caught the exchange between Rep. Scott Fetgatter and another representative on a live mic set up for a pending press conference:

Unknown: “So you molested this girl after (UNKNOWN) did?”

Fetgatter: “No, I was at the table, so I allowed it.”

Unknown: “You allowed it to happen?

When asked who he was having the conversation with, Fetgatter declined to comment, but News 9 identified the other voice as belonging to Rep. Mark McBride and said that the two were referring to Rep. Chris Kannady (R-Oklahoma City) and accusations that he inappropriately touched a female representative. McBride has since declined to comment, but Fetgatter released a statement saying,

My comments have been taken out of context and were only in response to a question directed toward me. I apologize if my remarks in any way trivialized the serious nature of sexual assault. To be clear I have never seen anything inappropriate happen or sexual harassment occur during my time in the House of Representatives. I hope this investigation, which is routine when an HR complaint is filed, is settled quickly so that reputations of the innocent are preserved.

Gov. Kevin Stitt commented on the overheard statements,

I heard about that. It's pretty disappointing and, you know, I don't know what to say. It's disappointing. If any of that stuff's true, that's disappointing but it's also disappointing that people are joking about stuff like that.

It’s just unfortunate that those kinds of things happen, and you know, but, I’m going to continue to try to set a high standard for Oklahomans. We’re better than that, and we have fantastic people in the House and Senate and you don’t let one person's mistake taint the whole group.

Oklahoma City Attorney Courtney Warmington has been assigned to investigate the accusations, which include claims that Rep. Kevin McDugle also improperly touched another woman.