Was Democrat Minority Leader Scott Inman
done in by House Republican Leadership?
Did Scorched Earth Practices Impact Democrats as well as Conservatives?
The surprise announcement by Rep. Scott Inman this week caught a lot of people and legislators off guard and tongues are a wagging trying to make sense of why a gubernatorial candidate and high ranking leader of the Democrat Party would announce his end of year resignation and the abandonment of his gubernatorial campaign. However readers of the Sooner Tea Party newsletter were able to read or listen to Inman's resignation statement and understand why the guy bailed out in such haste.
Last January we ran a story asking why Inman had came out strong against the sex scandal involving Tulsa area Representative Dan Kirby only to fall silent a few days later. We saw other Democrats stepping up to press the attacks against the GOP but Inman was as quiet as a church mouse. The story laid out the rumors about Inman having an illicit affair with a campaign staffer or a staffer of an independent expenditure group and another story in the same issue covered the incestuous relationship between the so called "Lunch Bunch", a group of legislators that ate lunch together, specifically Josh Cockcroft, Randy Grau, and Elise Hall.
Rep. Cockcroft is the go to hatchet man for House leadership and had a huge role in the Dan Kirby scandal as there were long standing rumors of Grau having an illicit affair with the woman in the Dan Kirby scandal, the woman who cost the state almost $70,000.00 in settlement and attorney fees. Cockcroft was appointed as the Chairman of the committee that "investigated" the Kirby scandal and another scandal involving Democrat Rep. David Fourkiller. Appointed despite his close friendship with one of the main figures in the Dan Kirby scandal, Rep. Randy Grau. Meanwhile Elise Hall was seen as the third wheel in the group's involvement in the scandal or the investigation. Little did we know that she might have played a huge part in taking down Kirby and Inman.
Now you really never know what the truth are much less what the facts are in most of these Capitol intrigues but you learn enough to ask questions. So as part of the chaos and rumor coming out about Inman this week one rumor was intriguing; was Rep. Scot Inman having an affair with Republican Rep. Elise Hall?
If this turns out to be true it would explain how House Leadership got the dirt on Inman and David Fourkiller if it is indeed true that Inman was blackmailed by House Leadership in January. If Inman and Hall were banging uglies then perhaps pillow talk or maybe simply a couple of sex addicts bragging about earlier conquests was going on. Elise Hall could have easily passed that info up the chain of command to House Leadership, enabling them to implicate Fourkiller to blunt the Kirby scandal damage to the House GOP. Hall could have provided the intelligence needed to blackmail Inman into shutting down, if Elise Hall learned that Inman did indeed have an affair during his 2016 campaign. Inman's own statement refers to the time spent away from family and choices made as a result, it appeared like he was alluding to indiscretions shall we say.
The rumor that Inman was having an affair with Elise Hall came from lobbyists along with a bombshell of a blow by blow description of Inman's wife ambushing him in the Capitol Rotunda near the Grand Staircase. The Oklahoman reported the ambush, screaming and finger pointing, and a wife escorted out by her elbow, but the Oklahoman story didn't report the part about one angry wife upset with a pregnant campaign manager. One joke was that Inman was so family values that he decided to start another family.
Is Democratic Minority Leader Scott Inman going to be a daddy again? Or is this all rumor and inuendo spread by House Leadership?
There again, if the rumors of the Inman/Hall affair are true both the opportunity and motive are present to take are hard look at Rep. Elise Hall and ask her what involvement if any she had in this entire business. Did she have a hand in the January shut down of Inman? Did she provide the intelligence on Inman's alleged affair and other info gathered during an affair with Inman?
Another rumor is that McCall's House Leadership has a list of Democrats that have compromised themselves, perhaps true, perhaps a crude attempt to blackmail the Democrats into ending the opposition to the tax increases.
Whatever occurred, McCall's House Leadership have done an excellent job silencing the Democrats during the special session.
We weren't alone in questioning Iman's sudden resignation, thelostogle.com ran a story that sarcastically asked questions along the same lines as ours, then someone posted a link in the comment section to our January story on Inman and the blog reached out via email for more info on the story.
Things will shake out in a few weeks or be forever buried till someone spills the beans so at this point all that there are are rumors and dotted lines. What we can tell you is that cheaters rarely are looking for steak when they cheat on their spouses; sometimes dog food will do fine as long as there is plenty of it available.
