Democrats want investigations, more probes

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A Democratic official on Thursday called on state and federal investigators to look into a $250,000 gift the family of Republican Gov. Frank Keating received from retired New York financier Jack Dreyfus.

Gordon Melson, executive director of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, also demanded that Keating fully disclose details of the gift and how the money was spent.

State Republican Chairman Steve Edwards said Democrats "are being silly and just trying to throw stuff against the wall to see if it sticks."

"We want the state Ethics Commission, the multicounty grand jury and the legislative leadership to look into it," Melson said.

He said requests for inquiries also will be sent to the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. attorney.

"Some experts have raised questions about whether the gift would be tax exempt," Melson said at a news conference.

He urged Keating to "release detailed documentation on how the money was deposited and spent. He has been pretty vague about that."

A questionnaire Keating filled out when he was under consideration for vice president also should be disclosed, Melson said.

If Keating makes the disclosures, there may be no need for a formal request for investigations, he said. In the meantime, he said he would make an oral request for a grand jury probe to Attorney General Drew Edmondson.

Melson referred to a story in Thursday's editions of The Tulsa World detailing Keating's efforts to set up a meeting between Dreyfus and former Department of Corrections Director Larry Fields.

Keating has said the cash gift from Dreyfus went to pay for his children's educational expenses and summer activities. Dreyfus, founder of the Dreyfus mutual fund, said Keating helped him to promote the drug, Dilantin, for prison use.

The governor was en route to Washington Thursday to attend the Bush inaugural, but spokesman John Cox repeated Keating's contention that he followed the law in accepting the gifts and reported the gifts to the federal government as required.

"Melson seems intent on throwing gasoline on a fire that isn't even smoldering, Cox said.

"There's no story here," Edwards said. "What the Democrats are really trying to do is keep themselves relevant in Oklahoma.

"They suffered the largest defeat of legislators of any state in the United States in the last election. They are desperate to latch onto an issue."

Both Keating and Dreyfus said the philanthropist asked for nothing in return for his generosity. Dreyfus considers Dilantin a wonder drug and wanted it used to control violent inmates.

Keating arranged for him to meet with federal prison officials when Keating was an official in the Reagan administration. The governor also arranged a Dreyfus meeting with current Corrections Director James Saffle, who said he never acted on Dreyfus'

proposal.

The World reported that Keating also set up a meeting with Fields, Saffle's predecessor, to discuss the drug and having inmates use it.

Several months later, Fields said he told Dreyfus, during a meeting in New York, that the Corrections Department's medical examiner saw no need for a Dilantin program.

Cox said Dreyfus offered to provide the drug free to Oklahoma officials because he is committed to the cause of easing violent impulses of prisoners.

"State corrections officials declined the offer. And that, as they say, is the end of the story," Cox said.