From:PaulSorum[mailto:paul.sorum61@gmail.

com]
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.
7012195601