Harold Hamm doesn’t like those pesky scientists…

11:24 AM EDT on May 18, 2015

Let's give Continental Resources CEO Harold Hamm some credit. He does a great job playing the role of evil, rich, powerful oil tycoon.

Last Friday, Bloomberg published some shocking emails that claim Harold the Hamm Eater flexed his neck fat and tried to get scientists removed from the Oklahoma Geological Survey because they had the audacity to link earthquakes to fracking. He also wanted to have a big say in who OU hired as the next director for the agency, even going so far as to volunteer himself to be put on a search committee.

Via Bloomberg:

Oil tycoon Harold Hamm told a University of Oklahoma dean last year that he wanted certain scientists there dismissed who were studying links between oil and gas activity and the state's nearly 400-fold increase in earthquakes, according to the dean's e-mail recounting the conversation.
Hamm, the billionaire founder and chief executive officer of Oklahoma City-based Continental Resources, is a major donor to the university, which is the home of the Oklahoma Geological Survey. He has vigorously disputed the notion that he tried to pressure the survey's scientists. "I'm very approachable, and don't think I'm intimidating," Hamm was quoted as saying in an interview with EnergyWire, an industry publication, that was published on May 11. "I don't try to push anybody around."
Yet an e-mail obtained from the university by Bloomberg News via a public records request says Hamm used a blunt approach during a 90-minute meeting last year with the dean whose department includes the geological survey.

That sounds pretty damn scandalous. Let's check out these emails. Here's the one between Hamm and Larry Grillot, the Dean of OU's College of Earth and Energy...

In all honesty, I don't blame Harold Hamm for wanting to be on the search committee. We'd all probably ask the same thing if we were rich, powerful assholes who valued our own self-interests above that of the common good. For example, if I donated $20-million to OU, I'd probably want to have some say in who Boren puts in charge of the Blog Oklahoma Web Ring.

Once Dean Grillot received Hamm's email, he forwarded it over to a couple of other high ranking OU VPs. He included a few notes about the conversation. This is where things get fucked up...

Wow, what an asshole. And I'm not talking about Harold Hamm. I'm referring to Dean Grillot! He should know you're never supposed to include details from private conversations in an email. They should be left on park benches, golf courses and the dimly lit back rooms where they belong, otherwise the media gets ahold of them and confirms our logical fears that the rich, powerful try to use their money and influence to rig the government in their favor. Conspiracy theories lose all their fun when we know they are true.

Fortunately, Grillot did save a little a face and included the "I won't try to go over all the discussion in an email" disclaimer. He also let us know that David Boren and Harold Hamm are having secret, undocumented meetings, so we'll still have some conspiracies to keep us busy. Hopefully nobody screws up and shares the details of those conversations in an email. That would suck.

Anyway, you should read the entire story on Bloomberg. Shockingly (Sarcasm), The Oklahoman and NewsOK.com have not mentioned the story. They're more into hard hitting news like this: