Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating spoke at Grove City College’s commencement Saturday as news of convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh’s delayed execution continues to make headlines.

McVeigh and the Federal Bureau of Investigation dominated discussion at a press conference Keating held after commencement.

Keating spoke about the reaction in Oklahoma to news that McVeigh’s execution had been delayed from May 16 to early June because the FBI failed to turn thousands of documents over to McVeigh’s defense.

He said he was celebrating the Oklahoma City Blazers victory in the Central Hockey League championship, when a buzz started through the crowd that something was wrong with the McVeigh case.

"There was puzzlement, frustration, angst ... that an organization like the FBI could drop the ball on all these folks," Keating said.

Keating said for the FBI to lose pieces of evidence from the bombing, which destroyed or damaged 320 buildings in Oklahoma City, was not impossible but "unforgivable."

"The Oklahoma City bombing case was the largest criminal case ever investigated by the FBI ... it is huge, the numbers are substantial. That’s the reason there should have been no mistakes ... if a mistake could occur in the McVeigh case, it could occur in any case," he said.

McVeigh, Keating said, "is a showman, and he is evil ... anybody’s guess is anybody’s guess how long he’ll drag this out."

Keating said McVeigh’s execution should not be broadcast. "I have no interest or desire to watch," he said, but acknowledged that about 300 family members of the bombing victims have expressed interest in watching the execution.

Keating said Oklahoma has a victim’s rights policy that gives the families of victims the right to view executions. He said the families have a right to view the execution, but expanding the viewership of the execution to others would be "turning it into a carnival" and "inappropriate."

The federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., has only eight witness seats, but the others will watch the execution via closed circuit television, Keating said.

Despite the tragedy of the Oklahoma City bombing, Keating said he feels for McVeigh’s family.

"They are just astonished and hurt and torn apart, and I feel for them," Keating said. "From all we can gather, they are decent people (even though) they birthed a monster."

Keating, often mentioned as a candidate to replace retiring FBI Director Louis Freeh, also fielded questions about what he would have done differently in the McVeigh case had he been in charge of the FBI.

Keating is a former FBI special agent and associate U.S. attorney general.

Keating said the FBI needs to make sure they acquire the best people who follow a strict code of ethics. He also said promotions need to be based on merit, not friendship.

"The truth is, this is not a good time for me to accept a position in the Bush administration. A lot is happening in my state," he said.

There are things that Keating wants to accomplish before he leaves office. His wife, Cathy, is also running for Congress. Keating has been governor of Oklahoma since 1994. He was the first Republican in Oklahoma history to be elected to two consecutive terms. Keating has also has served as General Counsel and acting deputy secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Back to TOP // Herald Local news // Local this day's headlines // Herald Home page Questions/comments: online@sharon-herald.com For info about advertising on our site or Web-site creation: advertising@sharon-herald.com Copyright ©2001 The Sharon Herald Co. All rights reserved. Reproduction or retransmission in any form is prohibited without our permission. '11231