Richardson wants AG opinion on Indian Gaming Compact negotiations

GARY RICHARDSON SEEKS AG OPINION ON INDIAN GAMING COMPACT

October 19, 2017 --  Tulsa attorney and GOP candidate for Governor, Gary Richardson, is asking Oklahoma’s Attorney General for a legal opinion on potentially premature negotiations of the Indian Gaming Compact. In a recent media interview, Osage Nation Chief, Geoffrey Standing Bear, announced compact negotiations with the state had already begun.

“The current contract clearly states negotiations for the next compact can not begin until 180 days before its expiration on January 1, 2020,” Gary Richardson says. “Negotiations for a new compact are intended to be a power designated to whomever is Governor in 2019.  I’m confident that will be me but, no matter who wins the election, Governor Fallin has no right or authority to negotiate terms of this compact during her tenure.”

Oklahoma’s Attorney General has the ability to issue a legal opinion which can be used as legal precedent until the court issues its own ruling.

"The people of Oklahoma and the Tribes of Oklahoma deserve a government that honors its word,” says Richardson.  “We know all too well what the tragic legacy of broken government promises has done to the Indian tribes of Oklahoma. These compacts are a promise made between the peoples of our state and, as an Oklahoman, I consider that promise to be sacred. As a political outsider, I don’t have the power to demand an opinion from the Attorney General, but any sitting lawmaker can pick up the mantle to make sure the state keeps its commitments.”

Gary Richardson is a lifelong Oklahoman, former US Attorney appointed by President Reagan, and founder of a successful law firm in Tulsa.

For more information on Gary Richardson’s campaign for Governor of Oklahoma visit his website at www.GaryRichardson.org.