FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Contact: Stuart Chaifetz 856-428-2635; Steve Hindi 630-640-1889: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Undercover Investigation of US Sen. Jim Inhofe Pigeon Shoot Fundraiser Reveals Multiple Violations of Law; Bill for Damages to Group's Drone Shot Down by Inhofe's Party to be Personally Presented Tuesday
WASHINGTON D.C. – An international animal protection watchdog group today said its undercover investigation has documented environmental violations and possible ethics and criminal activity of Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) at his pigeon-shooting fundraisers in Oklahoma on Sept. 11 of this year and 2014.
Details provided at a NEWS CONFERENCE on Tuesday/Nov. 10 at 9:30 a.m. at
The National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC
After the press conference, SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness), based in Illinois, will go to Sen. Inhofe’s DC office to hand deliver a bill for the damage done to the watchdog's reconnaissance drone shot down by Inhofe or a member of his group at his Sept. 11 fundraiser this year.
And on Sept. 5, 2014, a SHARK investigator attended a live pigeon shoot campaign fundraiser held for Inhofe in Oklahoma, and recorded horrific acts of animal cruelty that occurred as 1,000 tame and banded pigeons were hand thrown into the air and then shot for fun.
"Our video of the Inhofe pigeon shoot not only exposed severe acts of animal cruelty, including wounded birds being kicked, but it revealed corruption and criminal activity associated with the fundraiser,” said Stuart Chaifetz, the SHARK investigator who filmed the Inhofe shoot.
Violations of law include:
• The land Inhofe used for his political fundraiser was federally owned.
• Inhofe illegally used Oklahoma game wardens, who were federally funded, as workers to serve his donors at the political fundraiser.
• Inspectors from the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the owner of the federal property in question, found a massive, illegal garbage dump on the property that contained hazardous materials such as tires and electronic equipment as well as building materials.
• BOR also found that the land was also being used as an illegal private canned hunting preserve, stating in a letter that "The site is littered with countless rotting pigeon carcasses…”
• BOR has acknowledged that all of the above issues, including Inhofe’s pigeon shoot fundraiser, violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
"Even though there are documented multiple violations of the law found to have occurred on the federal property, no criminal complaints were filed against Tom Buchanan, the manager of the federal property (and a close ally of Inhofe), or Sen. Inhofe himself,” noted Steve Hindi, President of SHARK. "The irony of Sen. Inhofe being Chair of the Environment Committee while violating environmental laws for his political fundraiser cannot be understated."
When Sen. Inhofe held his 2015 pigeon shoot, on September 11, SHARK filmed the animal cruelty using a remote controlled drone. Someone in the Inhofe party shot the drone which, though recovered, incurred serious and costly damage. Shooting into the air and crippling a drone was also an extremely dangerous act that created a real safety hazard.
"SHARK has repeatedly tried to get Oklahoma local and state law enforcement to investigate the illegal shooting, however, no one will even respond to our request,” said Hindi. “Those who write our laws must not be above them. Sen. Inhofe must be held accountable for what he has done."
