Story perspectives

Oklahoma AG Urges Stitt to Fire Intoxication-Arrested Secretary

8/21/2026

Summary

Story summary

Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak was arrested for public intoxication outside an Edmond McDonald’s on Aug. 14.
Body-camera video captured Lepak’s extremely slurred speech and a strong alcohol odor.
He first denied drinking, then claimed less than one beer, and later recanted the statements.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond urged Governor Kevin Stitt to place Lepak on leave and fire him.

History

Historical Context

The June 17, 1972 Watergate break-in, where five burglars entered the DNC headquarters, sparked a constitutional crisis that led to President Nixon’s August 1974 resignation and sweeping ethics reforms. Decades later, the August 14, 2023 public-intoxication arrest of Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak prompted Governor Stitt and Attorney General Drummond to call for his removal, echoing how media and legal pressure now drive accountability much as Watergate did.

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Story summary

Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak was arrested for public intoxication outside an Edmond McDonald’s on Aug. 14.
Body-camera video captured Lepak’s extremely slurred speech and a strong alcohol odor.
He first denied drinking, then claimed less than one beer, and later recanted the statements.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond urged Governor Kevin Stitt to place Lepak on leave and fire him.

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