Oklahoma governor calls on county officials to resign over tape with racist, anti-press comments

Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt is calling on four county officials to resign after a newspaper released parts of an audio recording that apparently captured some of them talking about killing the paper's journalists.

The audio published by the McCurtain Gazette-News after a county commissioners' meeting last month also appears to capture one of the four officials making racist remarks about black people. The paper's publisher, Bruce Willingham, said he captured the audio after leaving a voice-activated recorder in the room after the meeting because he suspected the McCurtain County officials would violate the state's Open Meeting Act by continuing to conduct county business after the meeting ended.

Stitt on Sunday said he is seeking the resignations of County Sheriff Kevin Clardy, sheriff’s Capt. Alicia Manning, jail administrator Larry Hendrix and District 2 Commissioner Mark Jennings, according to the Associated Press.

"I am both appalled and disheartened to hear of the horrid comments made by officials in McCurtain County," the governor said. "There is simply no place for such hateful rhetoric in the state of Oklahoma, especially by those that serve to represent the community through their respective office."

In the recording, which the Gazette plans on releasing in full at the conclusion of a series, Clardy, Manning and Jennings seemingly talked about Willingham, and his son, reporter Chris Willingham. 

Jennings tells Clardy and Manning, "I know where two deep holes are dug if you ever need them," to which the sheriff replied, "I've got an excavator."

Jennings also said he has "known two or three hit men" in Louisiana, who are "very quiet guys."

Additionally, the recording captures Jennings saying that "back in the day" someone would "take a damn black guy and whoop their ass and throw him in the cell" or take them to a creek and "hang them up with a damn rope."

"But you can’t do that anymore. They got more rights than we got," he also said.

The wire service could not verify the recording's authenticity and none of the people captured responded to the outlet's requests for comment.

The McCurtain County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday that the matter is being actively investigated. The law enforcement agency also said the audio was "illegally obtained" and "does not match the 'transcription.'"

Bruce Willingham said, "I talked on two different occasions to our attorneys to make sure I wasn’t doing anything illegal."