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Sent:Thursday,May11,20171:39PM
To:InfoGovernor'sOce<governor@nd.gov>;Sanford,Brent<bsanford@nd.gov>
Subject:DestroyedOilandGasemails.
CAUTION:Thisemailoriginatedfromanoutsidesource.Donotclicklinksoropenaachmentsunlessyouknowtheyaresafe
DearGovernorBurgum,
InanattempttoundermineWayneStenehjem'sPrimarycampaignlastyear,MarvinNelsonandIheldapressconference
lastMaytoshinealightonthereporteddestructionofthousandsofrecordsintheOilandGasDivision.Itwasasucces
pressconferenceandwaswidelyreportedinNDnewspapers.
AfterourourpressconferencelastMay,DerrickBraaten'slawfirmapparentlyranwiththeissueinanattempttodeterm
ifrecordsinOilandGaswereactuallydestroyed.
ReadDerrick'slettertoLaurenDonovanoftheBismarckTribuneonpage2oftheattacheddocumententitled"201758
IndustrialCommOpenRecordsdoc..."
Herearesomeexcerptsfromthatletter:
RE:Deletionof38,700IndustrialCommissionemails
DearMs.Donovan:
OnMay12,2016,severalNorthDakotanewspaperscoveredapressconferenceheldbytwoNorthDakota
gubernatorialcandidatesfromopposingpartiesregardingatipthatemployeesatthestate'sOilandGasDivision
beenorderedtodestroyrecords.AllisonRitter,thespokeswomanfortheOilandGasDivision,calledthoseclaim
"completelybaseless"accordingtotheGrandFork'sHerald'scoverageofthepressconference.
...
Iamwritingtofollowuptoinformyouoftheoutcomeofourrequest.Theinitialrequestthatwesentturnedup
handwrittennotefromtheOilandGasDivisiondescribingwhatappearedtobeanallstaffmeetingheldonMay
2016thedaypriortothepressconference.NexttoLynnHelm'sinitials,thehandwrittennotecontainedthe
statement"removeunnecessaryemails."(AttachmentA).Nofurtherexplanationwasgiveninthisdocument.
Nonetheless,thisdocumentwasconcerning,asitseemedtocorroboratetheinformationprovidedbythetwo
gubernatorialcandidates.
...
Theattempteddestructionoftheseemailsisdeeplyconcerningtous.ItisalsoaClassCfelony.N.D.C.C.12.
1105statesthat"[a]personisguiltyofanoffenseifhe...[k]nowingly,withoutlawfulauthority,destroys,conce
removes,orotherwiseimpairstheverityoravailabilityofagovernmentrecord."Thatstatutegoesontodescribe
felonyandmisdemeanorchargesforbreakingthislaw....
Thismakesmewonderiffederallawswerealsoviolatedasitisasafeassumptionthatmanyoftheemailsalsoconcerne
productiononfederallandsandtrustlandsmanagedbytheBLM.TheFederalRecordsActstatesthatemailrecordsm
bepreserved.
Ifyouareinneedofadditionalinformationonthismatter,pleasedonothesitatetocallme.
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