Five state lawmakers — all members of the House Education Committee — signed a letter Wednesday asking Attorney General Gentner Drummond to investigate the employment status of Matt Langston, a controversial Department of Education administrator. Oklahoma State Education.
Langston worked as campaign manager when Public Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters ran for state superintendent in 2022 and has been the department’s chief policy adviser since January 2023.
The letter, written by Rep. Mark McBride, chairman of the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee, notes that concerns have been raised “about whether Mr. Langston is, in fact, a ghost employee within of the department”. McBride sent the letter to Drummond on Wednesday.
Phil Bacharach, Drummond’s spokesman, confirmed the letter was sent to the attorney general’s office and said staff was reviewing the letter.
More: Lawmaker Says Ryan Walters’ Top Advisor Is a ‘Ghost Employee,’ Wants AG Investigation
Letter asks attorney general to dig deeper into details of Matt Langston’s employment
In the letter, McBride asked Drummond to determine whether or not Langston is a current employee of the Department of Education and, if so, what specific duties and responsibilities he has been assigned. McBride also asked Drummond to determine whether there is evidence of Langston’s completion of assigned duties, including work records, attendance and completed projects.
McBride also asked Drummond to “determine whether Mr. Langston’s ties to Vaught Strategies and Precision Outreach LLC constitute a misuse of state taxpayer dollars for Langston’s personal gain” and to determine whether he There are discrepancies or irregularities in the documentation relating to Mr. Langston’s employment.
McBride said the request was necessary because of ongoing concerns from Department of Education leadership.
“It doesn’t seem like Oklahomans are getting answers to the questions that have been asked,” he said. “They’re getting partial answers. Bits and pieces. Let’s stop dancing around the truth and make it public.”
“For months, questions have been asked about the presence of a ghost employee at OSDE and the use of taxpayer dollars for self-promotion in the national media,” McBride said. He said the connection between the superintendent and his staff and the groups hired to make the videos, book speaking engagements and with interviews by several national media groups continues to raise concerns, which need to be examined.
McBride’s letter was co-signed by Reps. Rhonda Baker, Ronny Johns, Mark Cancuren and Danny Sterling, all members of the House Joint Education Committee.
“An impartial and comprehensive investigation is crucial to ensuring transparency and accountability in our state government,”…
