Investigators: Walters’ TV could stream explicit content, what actually played still unclear
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A new digital forensics report reveals the TV inside State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ office is capable of connecting to multiple streaming apps, external devices, and even wireless AirPlay—offering more questions than answers as investigators try to determine whether explicit images were shown on the screen during last week’s state school board meeting.
Two state school board members alleged they saw nude images of women on the TV during the closed session portion of July’s Oklahoma State Board of Education (OSBE) meeting.
Now, a digital forensics firm brought in by the state’s Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) says it’s going to take more than just examining the TV to figure out what actually happened.
“Inappropriate content on a state-issued device is certainly a serious incident,” said State Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, who chairs the Senate’s education committee. “To find out who’s responsible for that content is really where this goes.”
The digital forensics experts hired by OMES inspected the TV in Walters’ office this week.
On Wednesday, they issued a report, which said the television had no internal logging capability to show what was being played at any given time.
Board members Becky Carson and Ryan Deatherage previously told The Oklahoman and NonDoc they saw multiple fully nude women on the screen doing something involving a chiropractic table.
Walters’ account of what he saw has shifted over the past several days.
On Friday, an OSDE spokesperson told The Oklahoman it was “an alleged random TV cable image.”
By Sunday, Walters said in a statement, “I have no knowledge of what was on the TV screen during the alleged incident.”
But during a press conference, Tuesday Walters claimed he did know what was on.
“What’s being shown on all of your networks right now. That’s what was shown on TV,” Walters told reporters.
When asked which network it was, Walters responded, “I don’t know, I know it was cable TV it was on.
News 4 asked Walters,
“Is this just a TV that somehow only could show cable TV?”
Walters did not answer News 4’s question when he responded.
“We just had multiple investigations which showed none of my devices were ever connected to that TV,” Walters said.
The forensics firm answered News 4’s question in its report.
The firm found, yes, the TV is capable of far more than just cable.
Investigators found it was a smart TV with multiple streaming apps installed, including YouTube TV.
They said the YouTube TV app was signed into an account belonging to a former employee of the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
The report said Walters told investigators he regularly used the account to watch Fox News.
They also discovered the TV had Apple AirPlay enabled, allowing anyone nearby with an Apple device to cast video to the screen using a four-digit passcode displayed on the TV.
In addition to the internet-connected apps, the TV was connected to rabbit-ear antennas and a DVD player.
The forensics firm concluded it was not possible to determine what had been playing just by looking at the TV alone.
They recommended a broader investigation involving other devices and witness interviews.
“I just want to know what happened,” Pugh told News 4 on Thursday.
Pugh confirmed he’s spoken to Walters about the allegations.
“I have communicated with him,” Pugh said. “But, you know, it was just for him to be able to explain to me, you know, his perspective and what was going on.”
Pugh did not elaborate on what Walters told him, but said lawmakers can’t take meaningful action until investigators uncover more facts.
He said things like Walters’ press conference, in which he falsely claimed his name had been cleared, as well as public finger-pointing by Walters’ critics, are not constructive in the meantime.
“I don’t think it’s helpful,” Pugh said. “I think what would be most helpful is just answer the questions, provide the devices asked for by OMES and the OSBI, and let the facts come to light.”
As of Friday, it remains unclear when the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, or OMES will reach a final conclusion.
But all three agencies have said their investigations remain ongoing.