The bizarre case of the latest Walters drama - and why he's likely innocent here

As you might have heard in the news, some bizarre allegations surfaced after a State Board of Education meeting last week. Two recently appointed board members told members of the press that they saw "naked women" on a TV in State Superintendent Ryan Walters' office during an executive session last Thursday, reportedly interrupting the meeting to ask Walters to turn the TV off.

Sharp words and denials have flown back and forth, along with the commencement of investigations by OMES and the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office. The more that comes out, however, the more unlikely the first report sounds, and the more it seems that this time, the drama around Walters is completely unfounded, an unfortunate and bizarre misunderstanding, and that Walters is innocent of any wrongdoing here. Let's look at what we know so far.

• The State Board was meeting in executive session in Walters' office.
  
  
• A television was on behind Walters, viewable only by Board members Becky Carson and Ryan Deatherage. 
  
  
• Carson and Deatherage allege that they saw "naked women" on the screen, in some sort of "retro" footage. They couldn't identify what exactly was going on.
  
  
• Carson interrupted the session to demand Walters turn the TV off. Walters turned around, found the remote, and turned it off. Indications from those present are that he did not act like anything unusual was on the screen at the time he turned it off (likely because, as we'll see later, whatever was on that Carson and Deatherage saw was over).
  
  
• Additional media reports this week indicate that another witness saw the TV on FOX News immediately before the executive session, and that this particular television is normally tuned to FOX News or Newsmax TV.

Domesticated Warrior on Substack has a must-read article, pointing out discrepancies in the board members' stories and actions immediately after the meeting, and pointing out what is likely to have been exactly what was on that television - FOX News coverage of Hulk Hogan's death, complete with old WWE footage.

• Footage from the Board meeting room immediately after the executive session Thursday evening - the day before these reports were taken to the media - show the board members in question laughing and telling jokes... a far cry from the "disturbed" and shocked state they told media they were in.
  
  
• Former State Rep. Jason Murphey narrows the timeframe down close enough to find the exact FOX News bit with old ringside clips of Hogan.
  
  
• This entire incident is almost assuredly a case of mistaken identity, and a story that has taken on a life of its own driven by political rivalry.
  
  
• OCPAC's Bob Linn wrote this following two phone calls with Walters: "When Ryan left for the Thursday morning board meeting the television was not turned on.  As the board meeting progressed (2 1/2 Hours), there were 48 staffers identified by camera as having walked in and out of Ryan's office. At some point, after 9:30 AM, someone turned the television on to FOX but muted it so as to not risk disturbing the adjacent board meeting. After the board meeting, the board members went to his office for Executive Session. Food was laid out on Ryan’s desk (the same desk where the remote was also lying).
  
  While the board members ate (in the presence of the television), Ryan was busy gathering the non-board members needed for the Executive Session. For an extended period of time, board members are in Ryan's office without Ryan but with the television and the remote. It was more than ten minutes later when Ryan entered the room for the first time in nearly four hours. From 9:30 AM to well after 12:00 PM, Ryan Walters was never in the room. Only the 48 staffers, the members of the Oklahoma Board of Education, and the television remote had been in the room."
  

The narrative that Walters is guilty (before-being-proven — after all, the only evidence is from individuals who stated up front they weren't entirely sure what they actually saw) quickly took root in media reporting and statements from lawmakers.

Walters issued this initial response:

Response to the Most Absurd, False, and Gutter Political Attack from a Desperate, Failing Establishment

Oklahoma City, OK (July 27th) – As I lead the charge for a bold overhaul of education in Oklahoma, putting parents back in control, rejecting radical agendas, and demanding excellence: it’s no surprise to face politically motivated attacks.

Any suggestion that a device of mine was used to stream inappropriate content on the television set is categorically false. I have no knowledge of what was on the TV screen during the alleged incident, and there is absolutely no truth to any implication of wrongdoing.

These falsehoods are the desperate tactics of a broken establishment afraid of real change. They aren’t just attacking me, they’re attacking the values of the Oklahomans who elected me to challenge the status quo.

I will not be distracted. My focus remains on making Oklahoma the best state in the nation, in every category.

Walters' press conference on Tuesday:

Now, for Walters' part, here's where I think he's gone a bit off the rails in his reaction:

• He's accused Gov. Stitt of basically colluding with these board members in this matter. This is extraordinarily unlikely. What - the governor called them up and said "Hey, next time y'all meet as a board, make up some story about Ryan having porn on the TV"? Nah. That wasn't helpful.
  
  
• Walters constantly engages in sharp, hyperbolic rhetoric designed to poke and sting his opponents. It's what he thrives on. The problem with that comes in diluting the effect of future forceful refutations or affirmations (same as throwing around "racist!" at everything dilutes the effect when it's actually needed). Folks have a hard time believing you when you're constantly yelling about everything. Quoting Steve Fair from his column this week: "Walters is his own worst enemy.  His policies are controversial, but it is his self-promoting, polarizing personality that is the real issue."
  

Here's the problem. Even if the investigations come back and clearly say that nothing of the sort was on the television during the meeting, damage has already been done. Walters' foes will say that his private, non-governmental devices need examined - Walters will refuse for personal and/or campaign reasons, and they'll say "Aha! That's as good as admitting it!" 

Walters, Stitt, the board members, the elected officials... the well had been poisoned prior to this episode, and lines have been drawn even deeper in the reaction phase here. (To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how the Stitt-Walters feud even began, given how tight they were at one point. It's all wrapped up in political jealousy, political maneuverings, and the 2026 campaign cycle)

All of that being said... I absolutely don't think that what we know factually and can surmise logically leads to the conclusion that Walters had some sort of indecent material playing on the television during a State Board of Education meeting. The members caught a fleeting glimpse of something, possibly from an angle, misinterpreted it, made a fuss in the media, and now everybody's dug their heels in.

That's my take on it. Make of it what you will.