Some good news for Boren

Alengthy investigation overseen by a highly regarded special counsel produced good news this week for former University of Oklahoma President David Boren: No criminal indictment is forthcoming.

Boren and former OU Vice President Tripp Hall faced allegations of sexual misconduct with former and current students and employees. Both men denied wrongdoing all along.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation started looking into the allegations about 19 months ago. Witnesses appeared before the state's multicounty grand jury in August.

On Tuesday, special counsel Patrick Ryan said his decision not to seek indictments came “after considering all relevant facts and circumstances.” He called the work of the OSBI “extraordinary.” Ryan, who prosecuted Timothy McVeigh in the Oklahoma City bombing case, was named special counsel in April 2019 after Attorney General Mike Hunter recused himself.

A separate sexual misconduct investigation, conducted for OU by an outside law firm, led to a personnel action against Boren that was resolved last year when he ended any further affiliation with OU. Boren, a former governor and U.S. senator who retired as OU's president in 2018, said his successor, Jim Gallogly, began that investigation to try to destroy him.

Boren this week thanked Oklahomans "for their kindness and confidence in me" and said their "prayers and support have sustained me throughout this ordeal." His attorney, Clark Brewster, said of Tuesday's news: “A new day has dawned.” Perhaps it marks the end of a sad chapter for Boren and the university he led for 24 years.

Remembering a committed public servant

Ed Apple, a Republican from Duncan who served four terms in the state House of Representatives and eight years on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, believed public servants should be just that — responsive first and foremost to their constituents. To that end, in 2012 Apple began promoting the idea of creating a website with complete job descriptions of every elected office in Oklahoma, from school board to governor — including a history of the ethical and legal trouble some elected and appointed officials have encountered — to benefit people who might be interested in serving. Explaining his interest, Apple joked that he hoped to return in his next life “as someone who's indifferent” but that meantime he was “cursed with a conscience — with knowledge comes responsibility.” A good man, Apple died Oct. 16 after a long illness. He was 87.

Challenger making it tough for Lindsey Graham

In South Carolina, Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is in a tough fight to keep his job. Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison raised $57 million during the third quarter, more than any Senate candidate ever. Harrison received about $1.5 million in donations soon after his first debate with Graham in early October, where he criticized Graham's response to the pandemic. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Graham's handling of Amy Coney Barrett's nomination for the Supreme Court may have buoyed his chances, but the race is seen as a toss-up. The previous Senate record for fundraising during a quarter belonged to Beto O'Rourke in 2018, with $38.1 million in an unsuccessful bid to defeat Sen. Ted Cruz. A different outcome by Harrison could prove crucial in Democrats' efforts to win control of the Senate.

Keeping fingers crossed in Pennsylvania

The U.S. Supreme Court didn't do the country any favors this week in denying a request to settle an election dispute in Pennsylvania. The state's Republican Party had asked for a stay of a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that said mailed votes that arrive by Nov. 6 — three days after the election — should be counted even if they lack a legible postmark. State law spells out the deadline as 8 p.m. on Election Day. The court split 4-4; the tie kept the ruling in place. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's three liberal members in rejecting the request. The Wall Street Journal's editorial board suggested Roberts, amid Democratic criticism of the court, is banking on this not becoming a big deal. However, “If the ballot counting on Nov. 3 is close,” the Journal said, “the parties could soon be back knocking at the Chief Justice's chambers.” Let's hope that doesn't happen.