# News item: Sheriff in Oklahoma laments that he can't lynch Black people or kill journalists **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 18, 2023, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834 "2023-04-18T03:13:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/1 "2023-04-18T03:13:20Z")
I’ve seen the story in a few places; here’s a link to The Hill: > **[Oklahoma governor calls for resignations after county officials reportedly...](https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3955209-oklahoma-governor-calls-for-resignations-after-county-officials-reportedly-discussed-killing-journalists-hanging-black-people/)** > > Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) has called for the McCurtain County sheriff and multiple county officials to resign after leaked audio showed the county leaders discussing killing local reporters and… Backstory is that a journalist left a recording device running after a meeting of the country commissioners, hoping to record a violation of the open meetings act. Hooboy, did he get a recording, of two or three people, all allegedly county officials, including the sheriff, lamenting that they can no longer lynch Black people “because they’ve got more rights than we do”. They also talked about getting a contract hit on the journalist and the journalist’s son, with one saying that he would provide a backhoe to dig the graves, and another saying he knew a couple of real hitmen who would take the job. Governor of Oklahoma has called on all of them to resign. The FBI is investigating. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/2 "2023-04-18T03:21:33Z")
Another story, more local: > **[Oklahoma governor says McCurtain County officials caught on audio should resign](https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/oklahoma-governor-says-mccurtain-county-officials-caught-on-audio-should-resign/article_2737c4f6-dd2d-11ed-a7db-43921ed87a5c.html#tracking-source=home-top-story)** > > Four McCurtain County officials were allegedly recorded talking about lynching Black people, comparing a woman burned to death in a house fire to barbecue, and "two, big deep holes" for disposing of a pair of troublesome reporters. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/3 "2023-04-18T03:22:49Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Governor of Oklahoma has called on all of them to resign. The FBI is investigating. Resignation should be the least of their worries. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/4 "2023-04-18T03:26:48Z")
"Just talkin’ " is a defence to a criminal charge. Unless an investigation shows that someone started to take steps to actually do anything… which might trigger a conspiracy to deprive someone of their civil rights. And there’s an interesting prisoners’ dilemma take to it, given that there were three or four people supposedly recorded… ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/5 "2023-04-18T03:31:20Z")
I note that some of the articles say that the transcript of the recording is accurate, but that they can’t put names to the voices. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/6 "2023-04-18T03:35:34Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I note that some of the articles say that the transcript of the recording is accurate, but that they can’t put names to the voices.   Sure they can, unless maybe the audio quality is exceptionally bad. Financial institutions have been using automated voice authentication for years. How admissible that is as evidence is another question, however. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/7 "2023-04-18T03:37:03Z")
I think things are moving a bit quickly, and some of the news outlets are being more careful than others. Seems to be the local ones that are quick to put a names to the recordings. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/8 "2023-04-18T03:44:50Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Unless an investigation shows that someone started to take steps to actually do anything… which might trigger a conspiracy to deprive someone of their civil rights. I’d have a hard time actually charging them with anything based only on this conversation. However, this isn’t just about the law, but it’s also about politics. I don’t have to want my sheriff in jail to not want him to be my sheriff anymore. Sad to say, this will actually probably boost their poll numbers. > [@](#): > > Second District Congressman Josh Brecheen also issued a strongly worded statement. > > “These vile comments reflect the heart condition of a few and do not reflect the values of McCurtain County and Oklahoma,” he tweeted. Oh, but they do, don’t they. The voters knew who these people were when they elected them. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/9 "2023-04-18T04:39:28Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Oh, but they do, don’t they. The voters knew who these people were when they elected them. I think the Congressman meant to say “Saying this shit out loud does not reflect well on me and our election chances. Keep it on the down-low boys!” ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/10 "2023-04-18T08:25:52Z")
Official response so far: “How dare you record us!” > **[McCurtain County Sheriff's Office responds to allegations; questions...](https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/state/2023/04/17/mccurtain-county-sheriffs-office-responds-to-allegations-investigation-ongoing/70124523007/)** > > The McCurtain County Sheriffs Office responded late Monday evening in a Facebook post to explosive accusations this week. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/11 "2023-04-18T09:41:34Z")
The “heart condition”? ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/12 "2023-04-18T11:19:25Z")
Rachel Maddow played some parts of the recording on her program last night. It certainly didn’t sound like the whole conversation was some kind of ironic joke – what I heard seemed essentially in earnest. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/13 "2023-04-18T11:43:12Z")
Apparently leaving his phone to record them might have been illegal if I’m [reading this correctly.](https://www.rcfp.org/reporters-recording-guide/oklahoma/#summary) IANAL. I hope that doesn’t come into play against the reporter who broke the story. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/14 "2023-04-18T12:21:43Z")
What resilience it must take to be a black person living in a community like that. I’d understand if someone in that position coped by just trying to steer clear of white people in general. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/15 "2023-04-18T12:26:00Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Apparently leaving his phone to record them might have been illegal if I’m [reading this correctly.](https://www.rcfp.org/reporters-recording-guide/oklahoma/#summary) IANAL. I hope that doesn’t come into play against the reporter who broke the story. If it was a violation of the open meetings act, did they have any reasonable expectation of privacy? In other words, if they continued to meet to discuss official business, that should legally be an open meeting. The fact that they were illegally trying to hide their meeting shouldn’t affect the rights of a reporter to record the meeting: illegal secret meetings have no legal expectation of privacy. At least, that’s the way I hope the law comes out. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/16 "2023-04-18T14:40:35Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I think the Congressman meant to say “Saying this shit out loud does not reflect well on me and our election chances. Keep it on the down-low boys!” The first rule of lynch club is you don’t talk about lynch club. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/17 "2023-04-18T15:02:48Z")
What more rights do they fantasize that Blacks have over whites? Reminds me of trump musing, a long time ago, how if he was just starting out, it would be easier if he were Black. How does that saying go? When you’ve been on top, equality feels like oppression. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/18 "2023-04-18T15:05:48Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Apparently leaving his phone to record them might have been illegal if I’m [reading this correctly.](https://www.rcfp.org/reporters-recording-guide/oklahoma/#summary) IANAL. I hope that doesn’t come into play against the reporter who broke the story. I am far from familiar with Oklahoma law, but the reporter said he checked with attorneys prior to doing this and felt it was permitted. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/19 "2023-04-18T15:18:34Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > What more rights do they fantasize that Blacks have over whites? Reminds me of trump musing, a long time ago, how if he was just starting out, it would be easier if he were Black. How does that saying go? When you’ve been on top, equality feels like oppression. Was that the time Trump was musing about the TV show “Blackish” being acceptable but not a TV show called “Whiteish”? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834/20 "2023-04-18T15:24:06Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > If it was a violation of the open meetings act, did they have any reasonable expectation of privacy? In other words, if they continued to meet to discuss official business, that should legally be an open meeting. It’s not clear that it was anything more than a conversation among colleagues after the meeting, or that any official business was being discussed. The reporter was trying to catch them at it, but he caught them at something else. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-item-sheriff-in-oklahoma-laments-that-he-cant-lynch-black-people-or-kill-journalists/982834.md?page=2)