JUST IN: After a nearly five-year investigation, the House Ethics Committee has told @RepMullin to repay $40,000 to a company he wasn't supposed to have ownership in. The report largely clears Mullin of everything but an accounting error. He had been accused of unethically endorsing his former company and receiving outside income beyond what is allowed. ethics.house.gov/sites/ethics.h…

THREAD: Through open records requests and interviews, I’ve come across what is either an incredible coincidence or highly suspicious behavior by the Oklahoma attorney general related to the Tar Creek corruption case.

Follow along as I explain. It won’t take long. (1/7) As you’ll recall, Oklahoma AG Mike Hunter fought an open records lawsuit for six months between November and April as part of an unprecedented effort by he and his predecessor, Scott Pruitt, to prohibit release of the state’s investigation into Tar Creek. newsok.com/concealment-of…

EDMOND, Okla. — The six Democratic candidates in #OK05 will take part in their first — and likely only — debate, beginning in a few minutes. Organizers with the Edmond Democratic Women were expecting all six candidates to be here but Leona Kelley-Leonard is not. After some discussion, organizers have opted to begin the forum without her. There are about 75 people in attendance. #EDWForum

Scott Pruitt has arrived at @HouseCommerce's Environment Subcommittee for his first of two congressional hearings. Chairman Shimkus begins with praise for Pruitt's work on Superfund and other matters. "Much of" press coverage is a distraction but can't be ignored, he says. Rep. Tonko, the subcommittee's top Democrat, says Trump's proposed cuts at EPA will allow polluters to set the agenda. (Ostensibly, the hearing is about EPA's budget). "No regard for scientific evidence" at Pruitt's EPA, he says. Pruitt is "a frequent subject of investigation."

I've been thinking lately about whether the controversies surrounding Scott Pruitt will damage him if he runs for higher office in Oklahoma.

I've also been talking with politicos much wiser than myself about it. Here's a thread on what I learned, in case you're interested. 1/14 First things first: There's no guarantee the seat Pruitt has long been rumored to be seeking, Inhofe's Senate seat, will be open in 2020. Below is what Inhofe told the National Journal last month.

Inhofe will be 85 years old when the election rolls around. But he may run again.

Yesterday, I was at a congressional town hall meeting in a small Oklahoma town when something strange happened. It has happened to me before, in other small towns in other states, and I think it says something about society. Maybe I'm overstating this. You can be the judge. (1/8) During a lengthy back-and-forth with the congressman, an older gentleman repeatedly criticized "the media" for what he considered to be unpatriotic, unconstitutional and otherwise unseemly behavior. This is commonplace at some small-town gatherings and I'm well accustomed to it.