Oklahoma House Speaker Kyle Hilbert has announced the findings into an investigation following allegations of what had been seen on State Superintendent Ryan Walters' television during a meeting.
Hilbert released the following statement:
"On Friday, July 25, two members of the State Board of Education made graphic allegations concerning what they say was visible on a television in the State Superintendent’s office during an executive session the previous day. Due to the serious and disturbing nature of these claims, I immediately called for an independent and transparent third-party review to determine exactly what occurred.
That weekend, I spoke directly with State Superintendent Ryan Walters. He assured me that he welcomed a thorough investigation and had requested the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) to come onsite to investigate. OMES confirmed with me that they would begin their work on Monday, July 28, which they did.
OMES had contracted with Alias Cybersecurity to perform a forensic analysis of the situation. By Wednesday, July 30, their work resulted in a detailed 32-page report, which was received by my office that day. On page 7 of the report, a key detail emerged: “When initially powered on, the television displayed Samsung TV Plus Channel 1204 (Movie Hub Action).”
The following day, July 31, I contacted a government affairs specialist with Samsung to request information on what had aired on Channel 1204 (Movie Hub Action) between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on July 24. It was, understandably, an unusual inquiry, and it took several days to receive a response. However, this morning, I was provided confirmation that the films airing during that timeframe were The Protector (1985) followed by The Foreigner (2017).
Upon reviewing the parental guidance summary for The Protector on IMDb, it is clear that the content described by the board members matches scenes from that movie. Additionally, this matches information shared with me in a phone call with the State Superintendent on Saturday, July 26, where he explained to me what he thought he saw on the screen when he turned around to turn it off was a doctor and a nurse and that he saw a white lab coat.
In my opinion, the most plausible explanation for what occurred that day is that the television, which had only been in the Superintendent’s office for fewer than two months, automatically launched Samsung’s free streaming service and began playing a film that contained explicit content, without anyone in the room realizing it at the time.
This information seems to vindicate both the State Superintendent as well as the two board members. It is not credible to believe that the Superintendent or any member of his staff intentionally played an inappropriate film in the middle of an active board meeting. Additionally, it does not appear that Samsung’s internal movie channels list streamable content days in advance so a planned conspiracy would be highly unlikely. Instead, the available evidence points to a bizarre accident involving a newly installed television defaulting to a pre-programmed channel.
I have talked to Superintendent Walters, OMES and all law enforcement agencies currently involved in the investigation, and I appreciate the diligence and cooperation of all parties involved to get to the bottom of this incident. It was an unfortunate and embarrassing situation, but thanks to the swift response and commitment to transparency, I believe we now have answers."