Mystery Cash Clouds Istook’s Campaign Reports

Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma City – A series of six conflicting and highly irregular federal campaign and expenditure reports appears to show that Fifth District Congressman Ernest Istook has received at least $20,000 in undocumented mystery donations, the chairman of the state Democratic Party said today.

In addition to fluctuating numbers reporting Istook’s cash balance, receipt and disbursement totals, the Congressman’s reports also show over-contributions from individuals and a failure to fully document over $68,000 in campaign expenditures until four months after the required date.

“About the only thing absolutely clear in Istook’s FEC reports is that the last two he filed appear to have as much as $26,000 in unaccounted mystery cash,” Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairman Jay Parmley said today in a Capitol press conference.

Parmley called upon Istook to immediately come clean to the public about his jumbled campaign filings by releasing to the public photocopies of all the checks he has received and all the checks he has used to pay campaign bills. Campaigns routinely keep such copies.

“Campaign contribution and expenditure reports are nothing more than a checkbook congressional candidates have to balance publicly every three months,” Parmley noted. “It isn’t rocket science.”

“Amid all the gains we have made for public accountability with campaign finance reform, I demand to know where these unaccounted for funds are coming from,” said Parmley. “If Istook won’t tell us, maybe the FEC can get to the bottom of it.”

“Ernest Istook has been in office for a decade and should be more than familiar with the filing process. It stretches the imagination that these dubious reports are the result of bookkeeping and accounting errors,” the party chairman said.

Parmley said Istook has filed two required reports since January 1 and three amendments to those reports. None of the beginning cash balances, ending cash balances or receipts match in any of the reports.

Istook filed two amendments to his first quarter report covering Jan. 1 through March 31. One of the amendments came 24 hours after the original report. Figures on those two reports match up in only one area – disbursements of $66.22 for the three-month period.

However, four months later in July Istook amended the report a second time to show disbursements of nearly $69,000. Once again the beginning and ending cash balances and receipt figures were all different from the first two reports.

Parmley said Istook’s second quarter reports are even more disturbing, showing wide swings in the amounts of cash on hand. According to Istook’s own report, he ended the evening of March 31 with approximately $121,00 cash in the bank and started the next morning with only $109,000 on hand.

“Where did $12,000 go in a few short minutes,” Parmley asked.

Istook filed his second quarter report on July 12 showing he raised slightly more than $106,000 for the period and had a cash balance of $154,569. Six days later, on July 18, Istook filed an amendment to the second quarter report showing he started the period with a cash balance of $134,509, collected only $105,000 in contributions and ended with a cash balance of more than $178,000.

That’s a jump of between $24,000 and $26,000, depending on which set of numbers you use,” Parmley said. “We can’t find in his reports where that wad of cash came from.”

“This is a mystery that needs to be cleared up.”

The state’s top Democrat noted that Istook filed his amended second quarter report only a few days after Istook’s Democratic challenger Lou Barlow filed his own FEC report showing he out raised incumbent Istook during the April-June period and was gaining in cash on hand.

“Until Ernest Istook comes clean with the public these questions are going to continue to be raised about how he is funding his campaign.”

ISTOOK ADS DISGUISE HUMPHREYS’ AND WATTS’ TRUE FEELINGS ABOUT "AWOL"
CONGRESSMAN

If 5th congressional district television viewers watch closely, they cansee Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys and Congressman J.C. Watts talking out of both sides of their mouths in a series of commercials for fellow Republican Ernest Istook.

Lou Barlow, Istook’s Democratic challenger, today charged that in recent
ad appearances, both Humphreys and Watts are disguising their true feelings
about the lousy job Istook has done representing the 5th District in
Congress.

"This kind of partisan politics, where people in a position of power
speak out of both sides of their mouth just to protect another party member
is what is wrong with politics and elections in America today," Lou Barlow
said.

"Both Humphreys and Watts have complained about Ernest Istook’s poor
performance in the last year and now, in the final days of a campaign, they
come out and try to mislead voters about Istook’s record out of some blind
type of party loyalty," Barlow said

Barlow said if Istook had any real integrity as a public servant he would
pull the ads from the airwaves.

In one of the ad spots, Humphreys, Oklahoma City's Republican mayor, is
directly contradicting what he had said only a few months ago.

Humphreys’ sworn testimony in the recent Oklahoma congressional
redistricting court case tells the real story.

According to court transcripts of the case, while under oath where he
could face criminal charges for lying, Humphreys, who was supporting the GOP
redistricting alternatives, was asked:

Humphreys: "That's arguable, quite frankly. There are some things that
Congressman Istook has done that have failed to represent our city well. Some
things that he has done or failed to do have been very controversial."

Last summer, Humphreys told the news media that Istook had tried to make
amends to the Oklahoma City Council for 10 years of failing to support scores
of city projects and programs.

Last April, in a highly unusual public attack by one Republican against
another, Watts lashed out at Istook for taking credit for obtaining federal
assistance for projects when Istook actually had nothing to do with securing
the aid.

Watts was particularly angry that Istook was taking credit for getting
funding for a weather research station at the University of Oklahoma when it
was Watts who had done all the work.

"It is disturbing when you work your legs off and you get beat up over an
issue and then, at the 11th hour, a person tries to come in and make it look
like he has been involved all along," Watts told The Tulsa World on April 21.

According to the newspaper, in unusually frank terms, Watts described
Istook’s recent efforts seeking credit for a number of projects Watts and
others have worked on for years as a "hard sell that would not be needed if
you had not been AWOL in the past."

"I just wish members of the delegation [Istook) would have stepped up to
the plate before an election year," Watts told the press.

Other Republicans have heatedly criticized Istook previously, including
former Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Norick, who has been incensed at Istook’s
refusal to assist the city.

Throughout the campaign, Barlow said, he has been besieged by civic
leaders and average citizens about Istook’s failure to respond to their needs.

He noted that Edmond City officials are upset that Istook has not been
supportive in helping them erase a disputed $7 million debt over the
construction of Lake Arcadia. Supporters of Tinker Air Force Base also have
complained that Istook hasn't acted quickly enough to help them secure
funding for a new maintenance facility.

Oklahoma City officials have been irate with Istook over his stances
involving federal assistance to help the city recover from the 1995 Murrah
bombing, Istook’s refusal to help obtain funding for a light rail system to
boost tourism in Bricktown and securing funds to rebuild I-40.