OKLAHOMA CITY – A state lawmaker who has served in the House of Representatives as both a Republican and a Democrat and, at one time, was a candidate for governor, has been investigated for improper conduct and is now being examined by the House’s Rules Committee.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert sent an email to members of the House of Representatives last week saying that Rep. Danny Williams, a Republican from Seminole, has been indefinitely removed from his House committee chairmanship following an investigation about “improper conduct toward a House employee.”
Hilbert said Williams was investigated by two separate entities. Hilbert said Williams was also removed from his office at the state Capitol while the investigations were underway.
Williams is standing for reelection this fall.
“Earlier this summer, I became aware of a complaint against Representative Williams alleging improper conduct toward one of our House employees. Upon receiving this complaint, I directed
Jason Sutton, our Chief of Operations and Administration, to speak to a witness of the alleged incident,” Hilbert wrote. “After this interview was conducted, it became clear that a thorough review of the situation and other allegations that arose during the interview was necessary.”
Hilbert said he and House Speaker Pro Tem Anthony Moore requested and then held a meeting in the speaker’s office with Williams. Williams was told that the House was hiring an external firm to conduct a thorough investigation.
Hilbert said Williams was indefinitely suspended from his committee chairmanships and removed from his physical office space on the fourth floor pending the investigation.
“This week, the external investigating firm, Fuller Tubb Bickford Warmington & Panach PLLC, completed their fact-finding review of eight current or former employees of the House and supporting documentation,” Hilbert wrote. “Based upon the findings of two separate investigations, one by our internal Human Resources Division and the other by the external firm, effective immediately, I have referred this matter to the House Rules Committee.”
Hilbert said the House’s Human Resources Division and the external firm “focused their fact finding on alleged improper behavior toward House staff. However, during the investigation, additional concerns of potential misuse of state resources emerged. The matter of use of state resources is likewise being reviewed to determine if it should also be referred to the House Rules Committee and/ or the Ethics Commission upon completion of the investigation.”
The charges against Williams have not been released and, so far, no findings of wrongdoing have been publicly announced.
Williams could not be reached for comment. Williams, a Republican, has represented Seminole County and some portions of Pottawatomie County since 2020. He also served in the Oklahoma House from 1988 to 1994 as a Democrat.
Williams, who was 71 at the time, was reelected to the House, this time as a registered Republican, in 2020. State records show he defeated his Democratic opponent in the Nov. 3 general election by a margin of 73% to 27%.
“I’m excited” to be back in the Legislature, Williams told Southwest Ledger at the time. “The unique aspect is that although I’ll be coming in as a ‘freshman,’ I’ve been there for six years already.” Records show that Williams left the Oklahoma House in 1994. That same year, he placed third in a Democratic four-way gubernatorial contest won by Jack Mildren. That fall, Republican Frank Keating was elected governor.
In addition to his work in the Legislature, Williams told the Ledger that he has been in the wireless internet business since 2000 and owns Statewide Communications, a small company that provides high-speed internet service to rural Oklahomans.
M. Scott Carter is an award-winning political and investigative reporter with more than 40years’ experience covering federal and state government and politics in Oklahoma. He can be reached at scott. carter@swoknews. com