According to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) Wikipedia page, the council is a “conservative, state-based policy institute (think tank) that focuses primarily on state issues.” The OCPA Wiki page then goes on to talk a bit about the history of the council, where the OCPA headquarters is located in Oklahoma, and its commitment to the principles of “individual liberty” and “limited government.”
Missing from this short Wikipedia entry is what the OCPA doesn’t want you to know about the corruption and controversy embedded within the council since its inception. Tactics used by OCPA to achieve far-right policy goals and how they conduct so-called “research” to push conservative programs that benefit wealthy donors are nothing short of egregious.
What Oklahomans Should Know About the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs
Resignation of Former Governor Frank Keating From the Board of the OCPA
At the time of his resignation, Keating claimed he was leaving OCPA due to their unwillingness to engage with individuals who disagreed with them. He also mentioned their unethical tactics involving smear campaigns against opponents.
Keating’s departure was seen as a significant blow to OCPA, indicating that the organization’s tactics had gone too far and could no longer be ignored.
Attempts to Silence Political Speech
OCPA tried to exploit the Oklahoma Bar Association in a way that would undermine a person’s right to engage in political speech. The OCPA filed an ethics complaint simply because they didn’t like how a lawyer representing the opposition expressed his views about them. A judge quickly dismissed the complaint, stating that the filing was “without merit.” In other words, the OCPA had no reason to file such a frivolous complaint.
Threatening the Wife of Oklahoma State Representative Anthony Moore
Rachel Moore, wife of Rep. Anthony Moore, filed for an emergency protective order against the OCPA and was granted the EPO. Mrs. Moore received several text messages from an anonymous number that made numerous false accusations against her. “The messages,” she explained in the filing for an EPO, “were meant to harass and intimidate me and my family.” Following an investigation into the text messages, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation confirmed that several OCPA members were responsible for sending the messages.
Spread of Misinformation to Further Its Agenda
In 2017, the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs issued the following statement on social media: “State government spending is at an all-time high. Oklahoma is on track to spend over $17.9 billion this fiscal year — more than it’s spent at any time in our state’s history.”
This statement was found to be 100 percent false by Politifact. OCPA regularly puts out erroneous information to promote tax cuts for the wealthy and reductions in social safety net programs that benefit low-income individuals.
The fact that the OCPA Wikipedia page neglects to include verified news reports regarding its unethical and intimidating behavior is proof that the OCPA does not want Oklahomans to know the truth about its unscrupulous tactics.