Friday, 18 April 2008
It was an insulting, brutal, vicious, and personal attack delivered with threats of violence. The victim is Virginia Chrisco, one of the most beloved senior Republican Party workers in Tulsa history. The perpetrator was KFAQ radio personality Chris Medlock who is also an elected Oklahoma Republican State Committeeman representing Tulsa County.
Early Thursday morning April 3, Medlock began demanding information from forms submitted by republicans who were filing for election as Presidential Elector at the District Convention. Medlock called various party officials knowing that the information he sought was not released to the public prior to the morning of the Saturday, April 5 at the Republican District Convention.
As Chairperson of the Credentials Committee that received those Presidential Elector forms; Chrisco returned the call to Medlock, noting that the information he sought would not be available until the full committee opened each packet and vetted each application and followed procedures long established.
Chrisco said, “Medlock simply could not accept this answer because he said he was having a 3 PM meeting and he wanted those names and that information for that meeting.”
Steadfast holding to the rules, she refused – Medlock began to rant. “He said I couldn’t even pass an eighth grade civics class and all these things you know, but he never used profanity,” Chrisco added. “He was trying to bully and intimidate me.”
According to Chrisco, Medlock said, “I am the State Committeeman. I have the authority to have access. I’m on the Executive Committee; I have authority to have access to that information.”
Chrisco said, “Among other things, Medlock said that I was going to be the big story on his radio show the next morning. He threatened press coverage of our closed committee meeting and said I was going to be on the front page of the newspaper. This was not just a brief conversation. He said this was a deep conspiracy and I was corrupt and went on and on. Finally, Medlock said he was going to have 15 to 20 supporters at the committee meeting and asserted that they would have that information in their hands.”
“As the conversation ended, I told him that he would not be able to come to the meeting as it was an officially closed Credentials Committee Meeting. I hung up and got to thinking that if he showed up with a crowd, I would not be able to control those people and would be forced to call the police. That’s not a good thing is it,” Chrisco added.
After that phone call, Chris Medlock drove to the Tulsa County Republican Party Headquarters and demanded the information. He demanded the information from workers who had already received a call from Chrisco and had hidden the information.
Medlock personally searched the office for the information he was not authorized to even view prior to the convention.
“Chris Medlock did not show at the evening Credentials Meeting, but 7 or 8 of his supporters did. I explained to each one of them that this was a closed meeting and while their interest in the proceedings was appreciated, they would not be able to sit in on the meeting. Only one was antagonistic and refused to leave, but one of the men at the meeting sweet talked him out the door,” Chrisco said.
“I consider Chris Medlock in his position as a State Committeeman and a member of the Executive Committee as in the leadership of the Tulsa County Republican Party. I don’t believe that his actions are the proper way for a member of the leadership of the party to behave,” Chrisco said.
Chrisco has been active in the Tulsa County Republican Party since 1995. She has served as Credentials Chairman at county, district, and state conventions. She worked backstage at the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia in the Official Proceedings VIP Section, assisting speakers and presenters on the program.
Medlock is a former City Councilor who barely survived a recall effort launched because of his public and private behavior. The man who defended him in that recall effort, Rick Westcott was later elected to the District 2 City Council seat and with District 7 Councilor John Eagleton, publicly withdrew support for Medlock because of untrue and vicious statements Medlock made on public media during his unsuccessful campaign for Oklahoma House District 69 in 2006, which followed his unsuccessful campaign for mayor. Those two elected officials spoke on the record with Tulsa Today in 2006 and that interview remains available online (click here for “Dumping Chris Medlock”).
Asked today if his opinion of Medlock has changed, Councilor Eagleton said, “He made a promise he did not keep on a matter of personal integrity. He said some things on the radio that could be construed as not flattering and when I spoke to him on the phone about it he said he would make a correction and an apology and I am still waiting. So Medlock and I are done – he broke his word to me and I will have no dealings with him.”
Medlock has attempted to leverage politics and media and was successful first as a co-host with KFAQ’s morning host Gwen Freeman until she would not submit to his demand to lead a conversation one morning so he swung a microphone which hit her. It is said that local blogger Michael D. Bates was witness to that event, but apparently the loyalty of self-interests between Bates and Medlock has prevented Bates from talking about the incident.
Saturday the Oklahoma Republican Party State Committee will vote on their candidates to the Republican National Convention. Medlock is campaigning for a position as a delegate or alternate delegate to the Convention. As the full committee votes, Tulsa County Republicans – other than Medlock – will remind those present that Medlock has lied to and about elected Republican officials on broadcast media, brutalized the most loyal Republican volunteers, and, in general, placed personal ambition over the good of the party – not exactly considered good form.
Medlock did not return calls for comment for this story nor did KFAQ General Manager Randy Bush. However, today was Chris Medlock’s final day as a morning talk show host. Beginning Monday, he will host an afternoon show on the same station – a far less important time slot.
Last Updated ( Friday, 18 April 2008 )