The House speaker stripped an Oklahoma City Democrat of her committee assignments Friday following a lawsuit against her from the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said he removed Rep. Ajay Pittman from four committees, including tourism, agriculture, energy and natural resources, and the health budget subcommittee, at the recommendation of his chamber’s Democratic Caucus.
House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, confirmed Friday that her caucus has recommended the temporary suspension. She said that the House Democratic Caucus has also suspended Pittman from its membership and activities pending the outcome of an Attorney General investigation.
Pittman did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office is also investigating Pittman and recently served a search warrant for her office at the Capitol, but a spokesperson said Friday the warrant is sealed. He did not respond to a question about the subject of the investigation.
The Ethics Commission lawsuit alleges that Pittman committed fraud and breach of contract by filing fake documents to settle a previous ethics investigation. The Commission is seeking civil relief through the Oklahoma County District Court.
Pittman previously settled with the Ethics Commission for improperly using campaign funds for personal use and agreed to pay $35,000. She failed to comply with the settlement agreement, leading to further investigation by the Commission and the eventual lawsuit, officials said.
A court filing alleges Pittman provided the Commission a letter from her landlord that was actually created by her mother, former state lawmaker Anastasia Pittman, indicating that her campaign records had been destroyed by water damage.
The lawsuit also alleges Pittman submitted a falsified check to the Commission as proof of a payment from her personal funds as outlined in the settlement agreement.
“These are serious findings from the Ethics Commission, in addition to an ongoing criminal investigation, so I feel this additional step is warranted,” Hilbert said in a statement.
Hilbert previously removed her from the State Tribal Relations Committee.
Munson said the allegations against Pittman are “severe enough” to warrant action.
“The House Democratic Caucus remains committed to accountability and transparency for all elected officials and we will continue to focus on serving all constituents and solving problems for everyday Oklahomans,” Munson said.
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